<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>A Gentleman in Love.. by natthecatty (Scottish_Nxte), Scottish_Nxte</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28849107">A Gentleman in Love..</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Scottish_Nxte/pseuds/natthecatty'>natthecatty (Scottish_Nxte)</a>, <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Scottish_Nxte/pseuds/Scottish_Nxte'>Scottish_Nxte</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Original Work, Titanic (1997)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>20th Century, Action &amp; Romance, Boats and Ships, Drama, Edwardian Period, Forbidden Love, Friendship, Gen, Historical, Historical Dress, Historical Figures, Historical References, LGBT+, M/M, Original Character(s), RMS Titanic, Shipwrecks, Young Love</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 04:08:25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>23,495</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28849107</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Scottish_Nxte/pseuds/natthecatty, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Scottish_Nxte/pseuds/Scottish_Nxte</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>SUMMARY: A young businessman by the name of Oskar Fields boards the RMS Titanic in Southampton, on his way to New York to move over permanently. While on the Titanic, he becomes smitten with a young Officer named Harold Lowell*. What will happen when both of their jobs threaten to drive a wedge between them and the inevitable tragedy that nobody could’ve predicted.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Caledon Hockley/Other(s), Harold Lowe/Original Male Character(s), Jack Dawson/Rose DeWitt Bukater, Rose DeWitt Bukater &amp; Ruth DeWitt Bukater</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>11</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Character Summary</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>This is not the first chapter. Instead this is the summary of the main characters that are going to be included in this work. Including a biography and a faceclaim. Let's get straight into it!</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>Oskar Fields:</strong>
</p>
<p>Oskar is the main character of this work, travelling on the RMS Titanic with his maid/best friend Eleanor Fisher. He owns a small business in England, and having recently came into a lot of money he moves over to New York to open up a business there. While on the Titanic, he falls in love with Officer Harold Lowell.* Oskar is 24 at the time of the sailing having been born in 1888. He recently lost his parents which means that the sailing on Titanic is the first sailing he's had to complete without his parents. Luckily for him, Molly Brown takes him under her wing and aids him to become more comfortable in social surroundings.</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <strong>Harold Lowell:</strong>
</p>
<p><strong>DISCLAIMER: </strong> <em> Harold Lowell is based on the Fifth Officer, Harold Lowe. This is to allow me to write an OC heavily based around the Officer and the character from the 1997 film without tarnishing memories or offending any descendants who happen to stumble across this fanfiction. Harold Lowe remains one of the most amazing Officers on the Titanic, being in command of Lifeboat 14, one of the only lifeboats to return and rescue survivors from the freezing water. The only similarities between Lowe and Lowell is the sheer selflessness that they had during the sinking of the Titanic. </em></p>
<p>Harold Lowell is the secondary main character of this work, being the Fifth Officer on the RMS Titanic. He falls in love with Oskar, but his work threatens to drive a wedge between him and Oskar as it was nearly Taboo for officers to fraternize with passengers. He is an absolute sweetheart, but has a tough side that is exhibited in the sinking. He is extremely selfless and cares deeply for his fellow officers and the passengers.</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <strong>Molly Brown:</strong>
</p>
<p>Molly Brown is the cheerful American socialite that is shunned by the other First Class passengers due to her rather loud, outgoing and bubbly nature. She is travelling alone, a bit like Oskar as his maid isn't allowed in the communal First Class areas. She quickly takes Oskar under her wing and becomes good friends with both him and Eleanor.</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <strong>Eleanor Fisher:</strong>
</p>
<p>Eleanor Fisher is Oskar's personal maid and close friend. She quickly becomes friends with Trudy Bolt, the maid for the DeWitt Bukater family staying across the hall. She, like Molly encourages him to pursue Harold as she's known for years that Oskar cannot fall in love with girls. All she wants is for her best friend to be happy. She is a cheerful and bubbly woman, but she is also rather feisty as she doesn't tolerate being treated badly.</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Enjoy the work! Chapter 1 will be posted soon.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Setting Sail for New Horizons</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Oskar and his maid Eleanor board the Titanic and quickly settle in. Oskar meets Molly Brown and they attend Dinner together.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>
    <em>April 10th, 1912</em>
  </strong>
</p><p>This was a day Oskar had waited for for well over a year. He was leaving his home in England to travel to New York to try and make it big and live the American Dream. His small business had gathered up enough to be able to afford the move, as well as being left some money from his grandparents and parents when they passed away. He booked the trip on the Titanic as soon as he could, First Class of course.</p><p>At precisely 9:30 in the morning and not a moment later, Oskar rode up to the docks in his car with his maid sitting next to him. His driver, Edward was rather jealous of them both but he chose not to show it. As Edward slowed the car to a stop he turned to face them both. “Big day for you two, eh? I can’t believe after 4 years of working together that this is it.” Oskar, Edward and Eleanor had all worked together since they were twenty, having been friends since school. Oskar had offered Edward a ticket on the Titanic, but Edward had to decline as he didn’t want to leave his family behind.</p><p>Eleanor gave Edward a smile. “We’ll write to you. We both promise that we will.” Eleanor had all the qualities of a perfect maid, she was kindly, helpful and extremely dedicated. Eleanor didn’t see Oskar as her boss like most maids, she saw him as her best friend. Many visitors to their house were taken aback when they learned that Eleanor was his best friend. Eleanor and Edward also knew the secret that Oskar was harbouring… he didn’t like girls.</p><p>Every time Mr and Mrs Fields tried to encourage Oskar to marry a nice rich girl, he always found an excuse to get out of it. Oskar was initially concerned that Edward and Eleanor would betray him, instead they didn’t. They had his back and promised to keep it a secret until they died.</p><p>“Of course we’ll write. But, only on the condition that you come over and visit us when you can.” Oskar was a naturally cheerful and good humored man. He would write to Edward anyway regardless if he visited or not.</p><p>Their conversation was cut short by a porter knocking on the car window. “We’ll take this baggage away for you and check it in. You don’t need to worry about all that.”</p><p>Oskar smiled at the man and gave him a tip of £5. “Thank you, good sir.”</p><p>Some other Porters came over to assist with the baggage as the First Class passengers started to board the ship. The trio exited the car and took in the grand ship in front of them.</p><p>“Goodness, she’s even bigger than in the newspapers. It’s rather daunting really.” Eleanor turned back to the car and grabbed her own baggage and some boxes. “Do you want me to carry these, Oskar?”</p><p>“No, Eleanor! You’ve got enough to carry.” He took some of his things out of the car as well as some of the things Eleanor was carrying. “Well, shall we go onboard?”</p><p>As they walked to the boarding gangway their path took them past a red headed lady with her Mother and a tall man who he presumed to be her fiance.</p><p>“I don’t understand what all the fuss is about, it doesn’t look any bigger than the Mauretania.”</p><p>“You can be blase about some things Rose, but not about Titanic. It’s over 100 feet longer than the Mauretania and far more luxurious.”</p><p>The people meant nothing to Oskar, but the name stuck in his head for some reason. Once they had reached the gangway, they began to walk up towards the ship. As they got in the doorway, they had to duck down slightly and were greeted by an officer.</p><p>The officer had a sort of boyish charm about him, as he was not much older than Oskar or Eleanor. He gave them both a smile as he welcomed them onboard. “Welcome to Titanic, may I take your names please?” His accent had a typical Welsh brogue.<br/>“Fields, Oskar. Fisher, Eleanor.”</p><p>“Mr Fields and Madam Fisher, you are in Cabins B51, 53 and 55. Enjoy the voyage.” He smiled at them both again and moved on to the next passenger. As Oskar was led down to his cabin by a steward, he felt the gaze of somebody lingering on him but he shrugged it off.</p><p>The steward opened the door to their cabin and briefly showed them around. “Would you be requiring anything else?”</p><p>“Not just now, No. Thank you.” He watched as the steward exited the room before wandering around it. “I wasn’t expecting us to have our own private promenade. I’m excited to eat breakfast out here.” Oskar seemed rather distracted, almost like he felt a big part of him was missing.</p><p>Eleanor put a hand on his shoulder. “This will be great for us you know. Don’t worry about James, you’ve been kicking yourself about it since he declined your offer. I know you, I can tell when you are upset about something. He will be fine.”</p><p>“I know. Let’s try to unpack, we’ve got a lot to do.”</p><p>A few hours later after they had finished unpacking they both wandered up to the Promenade deck to get one last glimpse of Southampton. Almost like a feather, the Titanic began to slowly move off from the dock. Eleanor and Oskar both looked down to get a glimpse of James, but they couldn’t see him.</p><p>“He’ll be down there somewhere. It is rather crowded.”</p><p>After spending some time on the Promenade watching the departure, Eleanor insisted that she finished unpacking while Oskar went for a walk. Oskar had known Eleanor for years, so when she is insisting she will not back down. He had lost too many quarrels over the years with Eleanor, so he left her to it.</p><p>Oskar took a walk up the grand staircase which was abuzz with First Class passengers. Ranging from elderly couples to businessmen and families. Titanic had a sense of thrill about it, the energy was vibrant. He exited the grand staircase and out onto the boat deck. He took a breath of the fresh sea air and exhaled it. He remembered the times of going on the ferry boat to Ireland with his Mother and Father when he was a child. He knew that they would love to be on the Titanic right now and he would love to have them here. He wandered along the deck and took everything in. There were children happily running up and down, ladies having a little gossip and men having a chat about business. Up front, he could see the Officers up on the bridge, including the one who greeted him onto the ship. He looked out over the English Channel and watched as the coast of England slowly disappeared from sight, with the coast of France beginning to appear on the other side. The Titanic would have two stops. One at Cherbourg, France and another at Queenstown, Ireland. It was rather chilly, so Oskar went back inside and back to his stateroom.</p><p>When he got back, he noticed that Eleanor was talking to another maid. She had brown hair and a rather cheery disposition.</p><p>“Hello, Eleanor. Who might this be?” Oskar smiled as he shut the door behind him, curious to see who this new face was.</p><p>“My name is Trudy Bolt, Sir.” The brown haired lady was polite when she spoke. “I’m the personal maid to the family in the staterooms across the hall. Eleanor heard me drop some things in the hall, so she helped me before the family came back.”</p><p>“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Trudy. If you are speaking to me you don’t need to bother with Sir, Ma’am. Just call me Oskar.”</p><p>“Oh! Of course, Oskar. Listen, it’s been lovely to meet you but I should be getting back. Mrs Dewitt Bukkater doesn’t like me to slack off, neither does Mr. Hockley. Maybe I’ll see you both around, enjoy the voyage!” Trudy smiled and walked out of the room, gently closing the door behind her.</p><p>After a short while spent napping in the staterooms, Oskar was woken by the sound of the boat coming to a halt. He took a look at his pocket watch and noticed it was around six o’clock, which meant we had arrived in Cherbourg. Oskar was alone while walking up to dinner, his path took him past the boarding gates on B Deck where he saw a loud American woman boarding the ship. He noticed that she was shunned by other passengers, much to his shame. He walked up to her after stewards had taken her belongings to her room.</p><p>“Excuse me, Madam. I hope I’m not intruding or being unpleasant, but would you like to accompany me to dinner. I’m travelling alone with my maid, who isn’t allowed in the dining room.</p><p>Molly turned and gave him a smile. “Well I’m glad you asked, Sonny. I was heading that direction anyway.”</p><p>Oskar held out his arm as a form of politeness and allowed Molly to slink their arms together and they started walking.</p><p>“My name is Oskar, Madam. I’m travelling to New York to restart my business over there and get a fresh start on life.”</p><p>Molly smiled brightly, she always admired the optimism that the younger people had. “Margaret Brown, but you can call me Molly. I wish I was travelling home for a happier reason. One of my grandchildren is gravely ill, so I have to travel home at the last minute. It’s not everyday a handsome gentleman such as yourself escorts a lady like me to dinner.”<br/>Oskar laughed at the comment. “It’s not every day I get to escort a lady like yourself to dinner.”</p><p>“You are certainly a charmer.”</p><p>They both nodded to some other passengers who nodded and smiled back in return.</p><p>“This is my first time mingling with the socialites, Molly. Is there a way for me to behave? I’ve been to many dinners, but that was with my parents. They could help me out.”</p><p>Molly nodded. “Listen, I felt the exact same when I was at my first dinner without my parents. One thing you’ll learn is that they are always trying to root out the bad seeds. They are polite but you need to be careful what you say.”</p><p>Oskar nodded as they approached the doors into the First Class dining room. The two stewards manning the doors opened it for them both and muttered a polite Good Evening to them both. Molly and Oskar made their way to a secluded table for two in the quietest part of the dining room.</p><p>Shortly after they were seated, a steward came over to take their order. Molly ordered the Roast Duckling, while Oskar ordered the Fillet of Veal. He looked across the dining room and saw the Strauss family, who were an elderly couple travelling over to New York. Looking further across the dining room, he saw the DeWitt Bukaters which was the same family he saw at the port. Rose, the young girl at the table looked miserable sitting next to the man who he presumed was her fiance.</p><p>“I’ve got to admit, I feel more at ease now. I feel like I know what I’m doing.” Oskar spoke as he took a sip of some wine. “It’s not as bad as I thought it would be, you know?”</p><p>Molly nodded as she took a sip of her own wine. “The thing is kiddo, we aren’t all that bad here. But there are always a select few who do act awful to you.” She nodded in a gesture over to the older woman sitting at the DeWitt Bukater table, who ignored her completely.</p><p>“I see.” Oskar didn’t like the look of the Mother or the Fiance, as Rose looked extremely miserable. He watched as she excused herself and ran out of the room, clearly on the verge of crying. He turned back to Molly with a concerned expression. “Is she okay, should I go and check on her?”</p><p>Molly shook her head. “I wouldn’t. Not yet anyway.”</p><p>The rest of the dinner passed with minimal activity until a steward walked over to them both and handed them an invitation.</p><p>Molly looked over as the steward handed it over to Oskar. “What’s that?”</p><p>Oskar opened up the paper and took a look, with his eyes widening in bewilderment. “We’ve been invited to attend a luncheon tomorrow with the ship's designer, Thomas Andrews and the Chairman of White Star Line, Bruce Ismay.”</p><p>Molly raised an eyebrow. “We’d be fools not to accept.”</p><p>Oskar smiled and noticed that people were beginning to retire to their cabins. “Shall I escort you back to your room, Madam?”</p><p>Molly smiled but declined. “You’ve done enough for me this evening. I can make my own way back.”</p><p>They walked to the door and bid goodbye to each other. Oskar made his way back to his cabin and opened the door. “Eleanor! I’m back.” There was no response, the cabin was silent. Oskar glanced down to the table where a piece of paper was lying facing up, he picked it up and read it.</p><p>“GONE TO STAFF QUARTERS WITH TRUDY. - ELEANOR”</p><p>Oskar chuckled to himself before heading through to his room and getting changed for bed. He was very excited for his new life in New York as well as the remainder of the Voyage.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Who's that boy?</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Oskar finally meets the officer that he has been seeing around the ship every so often. Later on, he takes breakfast with Eleanor and Molly before attending lunch with Bruce Ismay, Chairman of White Star Line and Thomas Andrews, the ships designer. During the luncheon, he sees for himself just how awful other First Class passengers can be.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>
    <em>April 10th, 1912</em>
  </strong>
</p><p>A few hours after falling asleep in his stateroom, Oskar was woken by the sound of Eleanor quietly closing the door and heading off to her own stateroom. For a while after that, Oskar tried getting back to sleep but to no avail. He got out of bed and got dressed. As he walked out of his room, he put on his big coat and closed the door behind him. There were still a handful of passengers wandering about the ship, with a fair amount still mingling in the dining room and parlours. Oskar didn’t want to go in there, instead he took a walk up to the Boat Deck and stepped out into the crisp sea air.</p><p>He looked around the deck and noticed some of the officers were talking down at the bridge, as well as a few couples taking a late night walk along the deck. Oskar started walking in the direction of the stern and glanced up to take a look at the stars gleaming above them. He could see the constellation of Orion and millions of twinkling stars lighting up the sky above.</p><p>“Wow. You don’t see that when living in the city.” He muttered those words to himself before he was quickly snapped out of thoughts by careening straight into an officer, with them both ending up on the floor.</p><p>“Oh! Oh dear. I’m so sorry. Me and getting distracted.” He stood up and dusted himself off before taking a look at the officer he knocked down and realising it was the same officer who welcomed him onboard.</p><p>“No. No. It’s quite alright, we all walk into someone at the best of times.” The officer sustained a chuckle. It was the first time Oskar got to take a close look at his face. He was obviously in his mid 20s with hazel brown eyes that were incredibly captivating. He had a slight cleft in his chin. His features were well suited and well proportioned, nothing looked out of place. If he wasn’t an officer he would most likely be a model.</p><p>“Forgive me, where are my manners.” Oskar stood up and held out a hand for the officer to hold on to. The officer took his hand and Oskar pulled him up. Oskar dusted himself off as the officer did the same. “Again, I’m extremely sorry. I got distracted by the stars.”</p><p>The officer looked up at the same time. “Oh don’t worry. I felt the same when I did my first sailing, it’s amazing what you get to see when out on the open ocean like this. You wouldn’t ever get a night as clear as that in the city.”</p><p>Oskar turned and smiled at him. It was rare to meet someone who shared the same opinions as him. “I totally agree.” He quickly closed his coat and buttoned it up. “It is rather chilly out here tonight.”</p><p>The officer nodded. “You get used to them when you are a ships officer. You almost adapt to the climate.”</p><p>Oskar held out his hand. “Oskar Fields. It’s a pleasure to meet you officer…?”</p><p>The officer took his hand and shook it up. “Lowell. Harold Lowell. The pleasure is mine.” He gave Oskar a smile before releasing the handshake.</p><p>Oskar felt a slight blush creep on his cheeks, but he quickly shrugged it off and regained his composure. “So, ha-” His sentence was quickly cut off by another officer walking up to Harold.</p><p>“Mr Lowell, It’s time for you to take up your post.”</p><p>Harold nodded. “I’ll be there now, Mr Murdoch.”</p><p>Mr Murdoch nodded back and greeted Oskar before walking back to the bridge. “Good evening, Sir.”</p><p>Harold gave him a small smile. “Our conversation comes to an end here, I’ll be seeing you around then Oskar?”</p><p>Oskar nodded and smiled. “Of course. See you around.”</p><p>Harold nodded and walked off in the direction of the bridge. Oskar hid a grin on his face as he walked back to the cabin. He arrived back in his stateroom and found Eleanor reading one of her books.</p><p>“Oskar! You are back. You look happy with yourself, what’s happened?” Eleanor put her book down and gestured for Oskar to take a seat in the armchair next to her.</p><p>“Well, I was taking a walk along the boat deck and I ended up crashing into the same Officer who boarded us. He was rather dashing up close.” Oskar spoke with a smile and a blush on his face, Eleanor was listening intently.</p><p>“Oh I see. I think you are a little bit smitten.” Eleanor said with a playful manner while putting her book away.</p><p>“Me? Smitten for an officer? Never! Even the notion.” Oskar tried his hardest to keep it in, but he couldn’t. “His name is Harold and he is handsome.”</p><p>Eleanor chuckled before taking a look at the time. “Oh my, it’s nearly two.”</p><p>Oskar jumped up from his armchair. “Bother! I don’t want to sleep in for breakfast tomorrow. I’ve heard the White Star Line breakfasts are to die for.”</p><p>Eleanor sighed. “I wish I could join you.”</p><p>Oskar turned to her and took one of her hands. “I’ve got an idea. I can just pass you off as my sister or a cousin. Nobody needs to know that you are a maid. You are technically a first class passenger as you have a first class ticket.”</p><p>Eleanor’s lips curled into a smile. “You are cunning. But I’ll accept.”</p><p>“Great. Now I’m going to retire to bed, goodnight El.”</p><hr/><p>
  <strong>
    <em>April 11th, 1912</em>
  </strong>
</p><p>The next morning, Oskar and Eleanor both woke up promptly and got ready for breakfast. They exited their stateroom and walked down the stairs to D Deck for breakfast. They entered the all too familiar dining room and went to look for a table. Molly Brown waved them both over and gestured to them to sit down.</p><p>“Mornin’ Oskar. Who might this be?”</p><p>“Molly, I’d like you to meet my friend Eleanor. She was travelling with me as my maid, Instead I’ve decided to pass her off as my cousin. She does have a First Class ticket too.”</p><p>“It’s a pleasure to meet you, darlin’.” Molly smiled at her and they all began to browse the menu.</p><p>“They certainly feed you on this ship. I haven’t seen a menu with this many courses and options in my life.” Eleanor spoke with a sense of bewilderment, but it was clear she was happy.</p><p>“That’s White Star for you. They always give you a lot. Maybe a little bit too much if you ask me. Well, I know what I’m getting.”</p><p>The trio ordered their respective choices and it wasn’t long before they were delivered by a steward.</p><p>Oskar bit into his own food, which was a starter of baked apples, fresh fruit and stewed prunes. Oskar wasn’t much of a fan of the stewed prunes, so he pushed them over to one side.</p><p>They conversed for a while over breakfast, Eleanor and Molly hit it off and spent most of breakfast talking to each other. Oskar didn’t mind, because that allowed him to think about Officer Lowell. He was snapped out of his thoughts by Molly addressing him.</p><p>“You alright, son? You look a bit distracted.” Molly spoke as she finished her Cornbread with Blackcurrant jam.</p><p>Eleanor’s lips curled into a playful smile. “He’s thinking about the Officer that he met last night.”</p><p>Molly put her bread down and gave a knowing smile. “Oh really? What one.”</p><p>Oskar looked around to make sure nobody was in earshot before leaning in. “Officer Lowell. The Welsh one.”</p><p>Molly nodded. “Oh I know him. He’s very polite.”</p><p>Oskar blushed a little bit. “I worry I made a complete fool of myself. I was out on the boat deck and ended up knocking the poor man over to the floor. We talked afterwards for a bit, but he had to go and start his night duty.”</p><p>Eleanor chuckled a bit. “You can see he is a little bit smitten, Molly.”</p><p>Oskar playfully prodded her in the arm. “I am not smitten.”</p><p>Molly laughed. “Your blush says otherwise, son.” She passed Oskar a mirror for him to look into.</p><p>“I’m not blushing!” He took the mirror from Molly and took a look in it to notice the reflection really was blushing. “It’s slightly warm in here. That’s why it looks like I’m blushing.”</p><p>Molly and Eleanor exchanged glances as Oskar handed the mirror back to her. Breakfast was nearly over by this point and the passengers were beginning to leave the room. Molly, Eleanor and Oskar left as well and the trio took a walk along the boat deck. The first thing they noticed was that they were docking at Queenstown, Ireland where they would pick up a few more passengers. This was the Titanic’s last stop, and nobody knew that this would be the last time she would dock because after Queenstown it was a straight shot all the way over to New York. They watched as people boarded and disembarked the vessel. It stood at Queenstown for just over an hour before it departed at 11:30 am and not a moment later.</p><p>Once the ferry had departed Queenstown, Oskar and Molly went back to their own staterooms to get ready for lunch. Once they were ready, they met up at the foyer and walked back into the dining room. They were greeted by Bruce Ismay, the Chairman of White Star Line and Thomas Andrews, the ship's designer.</p><p>“Good Afternoon. Thank you for accepting our invitation.” Oskar and Molly both smiled and took a seat next to each other. Molly glanced up and noticed that the DeWitt Bukaters were coming into the room.</p><p>“Ah, the other guests. Welcome.” Ismay spoke and stood up to greet them, as did Oskar and Thomas.</p><p>“Caledon Hockley. This is my fiance, Rose.” Cal spoke to Oskar and they shook each other's hands.</p><p>“Oskar Fields. It’s a pleasure to meet you both.” Oskar turned to the middle aged woman at the opposite end. “It’s wonderful to meet you Miss..?”<br/>“Ruth. Ruth DeWitt Bukatter.” She gave him a tight lipped smile and sat down.</p><p>Once they were seated and the lunch orders were taken, they began to get to know each other a little bit.</p><p>“Tell me, Oskar. What is it that you do?” Ruth addressed Oskar first. To Ruth, both Oskar and Molly were what she called “new money” which meant that they didn’t earn their wealth, but instead were left it by their parents.</p><p>“I’m a businessman, madam. I’m travelling over to New York to launch a branch of my business over there.”</p><p>“A businessman. How good to see.” Cal spoke next but didn’t smile at all. Oskar was sure he picked up a slight hint of sarcasm.</p><p>“Interesting. So I’m guessing through your business you were able to earn the money to travel on Titanic?”</p><p>“Yes, ma’am. I’ve worked on this business for 4 years. I was helped by my parents to set it up, they passed away so I am doing this for them. The chance came up to take up residence in New York, so of course I accepted it.”</p><p>“Well said, Oskar.” Thomas gave him a nod and a smile. After a while of talking, the tea arrived and the subject turned to Titanic.</p><p>“So, Mr Ismay. Tell us a little bit about Titanic.” Oskar spoke as he took a sip of his tea.</p><p>“She is the largest moving object ever made by man in all of history and our master shipbuilder, Mr Andrews designed her from the keel plates up.”</p><p>“I may have knocked her together, but the idea was Mr Ismays. He envisioned a steamer so grand in scale and so luxurious which means that it’s supremacy would never be challenged. Here she is, willed into solid reality.”</p><p>Oskar watched as Rose lit a cigarette, to be quickly berated by her Mother.</p><p>“You know I don’t like that, Rose.” Rose then blew the smoke into her Mothers face.</p><p>“She knows.” Cal took her cigarette a way and extinguished it.</p><p>Oskar was horrified by this possessive attitude that Cal and Ruth seemed to take towards Rose. It explained why she was quiet and seemed rather miserable. He couldn’t help but subtly glare over the table at them both. A steward then came along to take Oskar’s order, he went for the salmon. He watched as Cal ordered for Rose, who looked rather displeased at the decision.<br/>Oskar was intrigued about the Titanic and even more so when Molly asked about the name, again it was to do with the sheer size of the vessel. To Oskar’s surprise, Rose spoke up next.</p><p>“Do you know of Doctor Freud, Mr Ismay? His ideals about the male preoccupation with size might be of particular interest to you.”</p><p>Oskar nearly spat out his tea at the witty remark made by Rose. He looked at Molly and Thomas who were both stifling laughter at the comment. He watched as Rose excused herself and left, only to be quickly followed by Cal.</p><p>“I apologise for my daughter. I don’t know what's gotten into her recently.”</p><p>“She’s a pistol, Ruth. That’s all.” Molly met her eyes and spoke. Ruth didn’t look happy that her daughter was being defended.</p><p>Lunch came and went with minimal disruption. The only really major event was Rose returning to her seat and Cal following with a face like thunder.</p><p>By the time lunch was over, Oskar walked with Molly out to the boat deck in order to meet up with Eleanor. The coast of Ireland was already gone, an indication of the speed the Titanic was travelling at. On every side of them was just an open ocean with no ship or landmass in sight. The sun was hanging high in the sky and beaming down on them. The trio took a walk along to the stern and looked out over the back.</p><p>“I could get used to seeing this everyday. There is something about being at sea that is amazing.”</p><p>“Oh I agree, El. I don’t miss England. Not one bit.”</p><p>The trio stood at the stern and reflected a bit. Their reflection was interrupted by the voices of Officer Lowell and Officer Moody in the distance. Eleanor glanced back and noticed they were walking closer, deep in conversation.</p><p>Oskar perked up in alarm. “He’s coming and I look a mess.”</p><p>“I’ll sort this. You can go back and make me a cup of tea.” Lowell spoke jokingly to Moody. They worked completely different shifts and were completely different, but they were able to have a good bit of humor between them.</p><p>“Alright, Lowell. I’ll see you back on the bridge.” Moody walked off so that it was just Lowell.</p><p>“Listen. I need to go and speak to the Countess of Rothes. I’ll catch you up at dinner.” Molly walked off and nodded at Officer Lowell.</p><p>What Lowell couldn’t see was Eleanor trying to plead with Oskar that he looked fine. Lowell was checking the ropes to make sure they were still secure which took a few moments.</p><p>“You look fine. I’m here, Oskar. You aren’t on your own. Just act normal if he walks over to us.”</p><p>“Goodness. Okay.”</p><p>Lowell walked over and stood next to them, pretending to check something even though he had already checked what he needed to. Eleanor glanced over and nudged Oskar gently in the side and gestured to him to speak to him. Oskar shook his head to gesture that he didn’t want to but Eleanor was having none of it. She rotated him to face officer Lowell and gently shoved him forward and mouthed to him: “Talk to him!”</p><p>“Good Afternoon, Officer Lowell.”</p><p>Lowell glanced up and met his eyes. “Good Afternoon, Mr Fields. I didn’t see you there. Are you having a good day?”</p><p>Oskar thought to himself: “Oh yes I really am” before speaking to him. “Oh indeed I am. Are we still on course to arrive in New York on time?</p><p>Lowell nodded. “We should be there on time, Sir. The Captain has decided to increase the speed of the Titanic, so we might arrive early.” Lowell looked around to make sure nobody was within earshot before leaning in. “Listen. I will be off duty soon. Meet me by the grand staircase on B deck. We can walk together.”</p><p>Oskar blushed a bit. “Ye- yeah sure. I’ll see you there in an hour?”</p><p>Lowell smiled. “An hour suits me just fine. I’ll see you soon.”</p><p>Eleanor was eavesdropping on the whole thing, when Oskar got back to her she began to squeal with glee. “I told you you’d be fine. We are going to take you back to your stateroom and get you ready.”</p><p>Oskar shook his head. “No, I look fine.”</p><p>Eleanor again, was having none of it. “You look fine. But I want you to look more than fine. I want you to look exquisite. Now come on.” She took his hand and walked back to the stateroom, dragging Oskar with her.</p><p>They arrived back at the stateroom and they closed the door. Eleanor went straight to Oskar’s wardrobe and began rooting through the clothing. She picked out a dark red suit and laid it out on the bed, as well as his plush black coat.</p><p>“Change.”</p><p>Eleanor walked out of the room and closed the door behind her.</p><p>Oskar looked at the ensemble Eleanor picked out for him. It was perfect. He mutters to himself while picking up the suit.</p><p>“I should trust Eleanor’s design sense a little bit more. This is fancy.”</p><p>He got changed into the suit and put the coat on before stepping out the door to show Eleanor.</p><p>“You look perfect!” She took a look at the grandfather clock and realised the time. “We have time for a quick cup of tea before you have to meet your Officer.”</p><p>Eleanor rang for a steward who arrived promptly. They asked for two cups of tea and the steward obliged. After a while of talking and sipping their tea it was time for Oskar to go.</p><p>“Good luck, Oskar! I made plans with Trudy so I’ll have something to keep me busy while you are away.” Eleanor then gently shooed Oskar out of the room.</p><p>Oskar took a few deep breaths in and out before walking along to the grand staircase to await the arrival of Officer Lowell.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Dinner and Dancing</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Oskar and Harold take a little walk along the boat deck and get to know each other a bit more. Later, Oskar dines with John Jacob Astor and begins to mingle with the other men onboard the ship.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>April 11th, 1912</p><p>Oskar stood waiting at the foot of the grand staircase on B deck, as agreed with Officer Lowell. The atmosphere was rather vibrant as various passengers and crew of different ranks and classes were making their way in and out of the various corridors and rooms surrounding the staircase. The grand staircase was the hub of the Titanic. If you wanted to get anywhere on the ship, you’d use the grand staircase at some point. Although it was mainly used by the first and second class passengers, you’d occasionally get a few third class passengers bathing in the atmosphere… before they were hastily shooed back to their own decks by some stewards.  Oskar was greeted by a few of the men who he recognised from dinner. Right now he was nervous, he was really hoping that the officer would show up so he didn’t look like a fool. He wouldn’t be surprised if he hadn’t shown up. Officers are naturally busy people and something could’ve come up requiring him to extend his duty. However, that was all disproven when he heard the dulcet tones of Lowell’s Welsh accent.</p><p>“Good Afternoon, Oskar.” Lowell gave him a smile and shook his hand.</p><p>“Afternoon, Officer Lowell. I was worried for a few minutes that you weren’t going to come.”</p><p>“I would’ve come anyway. When us officers are being trained, we get told to stick to our word. It’s one of the main values of a ship's officer. Shall we walk?”</p><p>“Yes. Let’s walk.”</p><p>Oskar and Lowell began to walk up the staircase to A Deck before making a turn and heading to the promenade.</p><p>“So, Officer Lowell. How long have you been sailing for?” Oskar spoke with pure interest as they walked along the deck, watching as the sun got gradually lower in the sky.</p><p>“You don’t need to call me Officer. Just call me Harold. I’ve been sailing for only a couple of years. I started off in 1908 before moving to White Star Line in 1911. I was the third officer on the Belgic and Tropic before being transferred onto the Titanic. This is my first transatlantic crossing.”</p><p>Oskar raised an eyebrow. “So you’ve never done transatlantic sailings?”</p><p>“No. This is my first time.”</p><p>“Well. That kind of makes two of us. This is my first time sailing transatlantic without my parents. They were always here to guide me through social events, but even with the guidance of my friends aboard this ship I still find it difficult. My Mother would always help me with my posture and how to act, while my Father would tell me topics to talk about that would impress the others. They would’ve loved to have been on the Titanic with me.” Oskar felt a few tears coming to his eyes which he quickly wiped away. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to ramble.”</p><p>Harold took a look around and put a gentle hand on Oskar’s shoulder. “You don’t need to apologise. Everybody has a story and it is always best to share it rather than letting it bottle up inside you.”</p><p>Oskar gave him a sheepish smile. “That’s some good words of wisdom there. I know right now that Mother and Father will be looking down on me and smiling at how well I’m coping on my own. Their main worry has always been how well I’ll do when I’m on my own. I hope I’m doing them proud.”</p><p>“I don’t know you that well, but I’d say you are doing them pretty proud. You are sailing First Class on this grand vessel, not everyone gets to do that.”</p><p>“Very true.”</p><p>“If you don’t mind me asking, what is it that you do. Why are you sailing to New York?”</p><p>“Well, I’m going to open up my own business in New York. I already had a small business going in London. My Mother and Father both had dreams of running a business in New York, which I shared with them. As I was an only child, when they passed away I got their entire life's savings. So I sold my business, used some money to sort out a ticket on Titanic and that’s how I got here.”</p><p>Harold was genuinely interested in his story and was listening intently. “Please, do go on. I could listen to you talking about yourself all day.”</p><p>They both shared a laugh and smiled at each other.</p><p>“Harold, isn’t there some sort of code that forbids you from spending time and getting personal with passengers?”</p><p>Harold leaned in to whisper. “Technically, yes there is. But the officers don’t tend to enforce it as most of them spend time with passengers when off-duty anyway. The only one who is a bit funny about socializing with passengers is Lightoller, then again he’s probably one of the oldest officers on this ship.”</p><p>“I guess so. Older officers tend to have more conservative views on other things.” They kept walking around the deck of the ship while talking. After a while they ended up back at the stern and peered down.</p><p>“You’d think being an officer that I’m used to seeing this. But there's something so majestic about there being nothing but open ocean. It’s very rare you’ll even pass another liner while out sailing.”</p><p>Oskar loved how passionate Harold was about his job. It was evidently clear that he loved what he did.</p><p>“You seem happy and super content with this. What did your family think of you choosing to become an officer?”</p><p>Harold fell silent and looked down towards the water, Oskar was a bit concerned that he had accidentally offended him. </p><p>“Have I offended you?”</p><p>Harold glanced up and looked at him, his expression slightly sombre and guilty. “No, you haven’t. I ran away from home when I was 14 to join the merchant navy. My father wanted me to become a successful businessman in Liverpool, but I was determined to sail so I ran away. My hometown is in Barmouth in the north of Wales. I haven’t been back since I ran away. The thought of returning home has crossed my mind many times. and I’ve been close to doing it. But I thought that if I returned home I wouldn’t be able to leave again, or if my parents would want to see me. I’m happy now. I wouldn’t be happy in Liverpool. My happiness is what matters.”</p><p>“Gosh. You’ve certainly lived a life of thrill haven’t you. I’m glad you’ve done what makes you happy and I’m sure your parents would be too. Maybe you should write to them?”</p><p>“I’ve already tried writing to them. They never reply to my letters. For all I know they get thrown straight in the bin or burned in the fireplace.”</p><p>Oskar took his hand and rubbed it. “Hey. It’s alright. If that is the case then just remember you’ve got your fellow officers as friends, as well as those back home. You’ve got me here on the Titanic, I’m always ready to listen.”</p><p>Lowell smiled, with a faint blush and looked down at their hands. “Thank you, Oskar. You are a breath of fresh air.”</p><p>They turned away again and looked out over the ocean. It was a crisp clear day, with the sun beginning to set over the horizon. It got a little bit chilly and Oskar was feeling the breeze. “Should we go inside, we can always visit my stateroom. It is rather cold out here.”</p><p>Harold nodded. “I have no objection. Lead the way.”</p><p>They were already on B deck, so it was just a simple walk along through second class and the a la carte restaurant before walking down the corridor. Oskar unlocked the stateroom door and noticed that Eleanor wasn’t in. He loved Eleanor, but he was glad she wasn’t in the stateroom.</p><p>“Welcome to my room.”</p><p>Harold was taken aback by the decor and the size of the rooms. His quarters were a simple white room with a table, chair and bed. “This is exquisite. My quarters aren’t anywhere near as nice as this.”</p><p>Oskar walked over to the record player and put it on. “We always need a little bit of atmosphere, the stateroom gets bland otherwise.”</p><p>Harold nodded and sat down. “I can’t ever say no to a little bit of atmosphere.”</p><p>The song that came on was Destiny by Sydney Barnes, perfect for a Waltz.</p><p>Oskar stood and held out his hand. “Dance with me?”</p><p>Harold initially shook his head. “No, I can’t dance at all.”</p><p>Oskar smiled. “I’ll lead.” He took Harold’s hand and brought him up to his level. Oskar put his arm around Harold’s waist. They got a little bit closer together as they took each other's hand and got into a waltzing position. “Just follow what I do.”</p><p>They began to waltz slowly around the room at first before eventually getting faster once Harold got comfortable. “This is fun, I should learn to dance.”</p><p>“You almost look like a natural, Harold.”</p><p>The waltz meant that they had to be close together. Oskar was able to comfortably wrap his arm around Harold’s waist. Harold’s hand was very warm to the touch, they were that close that they were meeting each other's eyes perfectly. Oskar took them in, they were a gorgeous and deep hazel brown colour that was put on display under the lighting of the room. His eyes were so deep that they nearly matched the shade of hazel painted on the wooden walls. They continued waltzing around the room until the song finished, but they didn’t release their position. Instead they both leaned in and captured each other’s lips in a quick kiss. </p><p>There was a brief moment of silence before Harold spoke.</p><p>“Wow. That was certainly fun.”</p><p>“Well, I’m glad you think so.” </p><p>Unfortunately, their moment was cut short by the trumpets being blown for dinner. </p><p>“That’s dinner. You should go, I’ve got to return to the officers quarters, we dine there.”</p><p>Oskar nodded and released him, not before planting a kiss on his cheek.</p><p>“I’ll see you soon, Harold.”</p><p>“See you soon, Oskar.”</p><p>Harold opened the door to leave the stateroom to find Eleanor on the other side of it.</p><p>“Miss Eleanor.” He nodded to her and walked away down the corridor.</p><p>Eleanor ran in and closed the door behind her, she was already dressed for dinner having gotten ready in Trudy’s stateroom.</p><p>“Well, I wasn’t expecting you to bring him back here so soon.” She walked in and sat in the armchair that Harold had been previously sitting in. Oskar walked to his room but left the door slightly ajar so he could hear Eleanor.</p><p>“I know, but it was getting rather cold and I offered.”</p><p>“You better tell me the details, Oskar.</p><p>Oskar finished getting ready and was adjusting his bow tie as he walked to sit next to Eleanor. “Well, we walked around the ship for a while and got to know each other. He came back to my stateroom, we danced and then kissed.”</p><p>“Hooray. I’m happy for you. Do you think you’ll spend more time with him?”</p><p>“I think I will, it just depends on his duties though. He’s busy.”</p><p>Eleanor nodded and put on her earrings. “Shall we go to dinner?”</p><p>“Dinner sounds lovely.”</p><p>They took a walk along the usual passage to the A La Carte restaurant. They were greeted by the same stewards who never seemed to move from the doors. They walked over to find a table.</p><p>“Oskar, Eleanor! Over here.” Molly beckoned them over to a table with space for four, one seat was taken up by Molly, the other was taken up by a man they hadn’t met before. The man was John Jacob Astor, the richest passenger on the Titanic. After they took a seat, introductions were made.</p><p>“I’d like you both to meet John Jacob Astor.” Molly gestured to the man sitting at the other side of the table.</p><p>“Oskar Fields, I’ve heard a lot about you Mr Astor.” Oskar held out his hand which Astor politely shook.<br/>“It’s a pleasure, Mr Fields. But please call me John or Astor.” He gave a friendly smile and turned to Eleanor.</p><p>“Eleanor Fisher, Sir.” </p><p>John gently took her hand and kissed it, a typical greeting of those days. “It’s wonderful to meet you, Miss Fisher.”</p><p>“Oskar is a businessman himself.” Molly was obviously eager to get the conversation going, she could see that Oskar would get on well with John.</p><p>“Outstanding. It’s always great to see other businessmen on the Titanic.”</p><p>“Ye- Yes. We’ve heard a lot about you. Your work actually inspired me to start my business, myself and Eleanor are both huge fans. I apologize if I’m rambling, but I’m just a little awestruck.”</p><p>“It’s not a problem, Oskar. I find I tend to have that effect on people.”</p><p>They all shared a laugh and ordered dinner. Oskar glanced over to the table where the DeWitt Bukaters were sitting, Ruth looked annoyed that Astor was dining with people who she saw as unfit to be in First Class. When she caught Oskar glancing over, she hastily turned back to her meal and conversation with the Countess of Rothes.</p><p>A few hours passed and dessert was served. There was laughter heard from various points across the restaurant as the conversation took a more relaxed tone. Molly, Oskar and Eleanor laughed after Astor recited a funny story from his life. “Have you got any funny stories, Oskar?”</p><p>“Oh, I’ve got one I can think of.” He took a sip of his champagne before putting the glass down. “Eleanor will remember this one. See, I was only 17 at the time. We were home alone with only the housekeepers in. Me, Eleanor and Edward were all up in my bedroom until we decided to play dares. Edward, our friend decided to dare me to attempt climbing up the chimney. We had all had a little of wine by that point, so safe to say we were merry. I got about a quarter of the way up before falling back down. I was covered head to toe in black soot. Everything was fine until we heard an almighty rumble and a large pile of dirt and dust crashed down and covered most of the sitting room in black soot. The housekeeper was not happy, but she backed our claims when we told Mother that the dust came loose due to it not being swept in a long time.”</p><p>Everybody let out a laugh at the story. Oskar glanced up to the entrance and noticed Officer Lowell was doing his rounds, their eyes met for a few seconds before Lowell gave a subtle smile and walked back out of the dining room. Oskar looked down towards his plate with a faint blush on his cheeks.</p><p>“Everything alright, chap?”  Astor noticed the blush on Oskar’s face.</p><p>“Yes, everything is fine but I’m just a tad hot in here. He tugged on the collar of his shirt.”</p><p>“I agree, it can get warm in here.” </p><p>Oskar was slightly thankful that Astor didn’t pick up on it. After dessert had finished and the plates were cleared, Astor invited Oskar to the smoking room for a cigarette and some brandy. Oskar obliged but made it clear he didn’t smoke. Oskar followed Astor along to the smoking room where they engaged in some boring business conversation with Cal Hockley. Oskar wasn’t a fan of Cal and Cal wasn’t a fan of Oskar, as Cal shared similar views to Ruth on who was worthy of being in First Class. </p><p>However, Benjamin Guggenheim was more than welcoming as were several others in the smoking room. Oskar was then roped into a game of chance with Astor, Guggenheim and Hockley. Oskar had never played before, but he was able to end up winning two out of the three rounds that were played, much to Hockley’s dismay. Guggenheim won the final round. Astor congratulated Oskar on his wins. For the first time, Oskar felt like he was finally fitting in with the men on Titanic. They weren’t that bad and for once he felt at ease. He was mingling in a social event without guidance from Eleanor or Molly, and he was comfortable that way. As the clock ticked on, Oskar got lost in the brandy which helped his good mood. </p><p>As the clock ticked on, the atmosphere got more and more lively. However, as much as Oskar wanted to stay, he was beginning to feel tired so decided to retire for the night. He began the walk back to the stateroom which cut through the parlor where he found Eleanor and Molly speaking to Ruth and the Countess of Rothes. He gestured to Eleanor that he was going to bed before greeting the Countess of Rothes.</p><p>“Countess.” </p><p>He smiled at her and walked back to his stateroom. While on the walk back, he crossed paths with Officer Lowell who was on night duty. He gave him a smile as he was genuinely happy to see him again.</p><p>“Harold. I’m just going back to my stateroom, I’m assuming you are on night duty.”</p><p>“Yes, I am.” It was clear that Harold was trying to remain professional while in uniform, but he found it slightly hard. “Good night, Oskar. I hope you have a good sleep.” There were no passengers or other officers around, so Harold planted a quick kiss on Oskar’s cheek. “Sleep well.” He smiled sweetly at Oskar and walked off to resume his duty. Oskar blushed a bit and entered his stateroom before changing for bed. As soon as his head hit the pillow, he was asleep.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. The Ultimatum</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Officer Lowell is given an ultimatum by Officer Wilde which threatens to ruin things for him and Oskar.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>April 12th, 1912</p><p> </p><p>Oskar woke up on the second full day of the Voyage. The weather outside was clear with a little bit of cloud, a typical day. He got out of his bed and got dressed for breakfast, noticing that Eleanor was still asleep. Oskar knew that she did love her sleep, so he just left her to snooze. He’ll try and smuggle some food back to his stateroom for Eleanor to have when she woke up. He finished getting dressed and left the stateroom and walked along the corridor to the dining saloon where he met up with Molly.</p><p> </p><p>“Morning, Oskar. How was your night?”</p><p> </p><p>“It was really good. I was able to fit in well with the men in the smoking room, I never thought I’d be able to but I did. I also won against Hockley, Astor and Guggenheim in a game of chance twice.”</p><p> </p><p>At that moment, Benjamin Guggenheim walked up to them both.</p><p> </p><p>“Good Morning both. Oskar, I hope you’ll join us in the smoking room again this evening? We enjoyed your company.”</p><p> </p><p>“Of course, Mr Guggenheim. I’ll see you there after dinner has concluded.”</p><p> </p><p>As Benjamin walked away, Molly and Oskar made their way to the nearest table and sat down. </p><p> </p><p>“So, Oskar. I was hoping you’d tell me how your afternoon with the officer was.”</p><p> </p><p>Oskar smiled and began to tell Molly everything that happened, from the walk, to the talking, to the dancing. It was a perfect afternoon which was evident on Oskar’s face. He was very happy whenever he talked about Harold and it showed. As Oskar finished recounting the evening, Molly also had a smile on her face.</p><p> </p><p>“Sounds like you enjoyed it.”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh I did.”</p><p> </p><p>A waiter came along and they ordered their breakfast, as well as being poured out some tea and coffee. Oskar took a sip of his tea as him and Molly engaged in some casual conversation. Shortly after that, breakfast arrived. The presentation on the plate was outstanding, almost like a museum piece. It looked so good that you didn’t want to eat it. Oskar had ordered some bacon, eggs and venison, while Molly had some Smoked Salmon and Poached Eggs. Oskar took a bite of the venison which was cooked to complete perfection. While he ate, another waiter delivered some rolls with jam for him to indulge in. There was quite a variation of jam, ranging from your typical strawberry jam to blackcurrant. There was also a selection of fresh fruit and some marmalade for the rolls. Oskar was offered the stewed prunes and baked apples, but he chose to decline as he wasn’t the biggest fan of them. The breakfast was enjoyable, as to be expected onboard the Titanic. Once they had finished their coffee, both Molly and Oskar decided that a walk on the deck would be beneficial.</p><p> </p><p>The sea breeze was chilly, but not too chilly. Molly and Oskar took in the view as they walked arm in arm along the Promenade Deck. As Oskar and Molly conversed, his mind kept wandering to Harold. How could a man be so perfect, so understanding and so handsome. He had an amazing afternoon with him the day before, he just hoped he’d get to see him again.</p><p> </p><p>Harold was watching from the boat deck when he saw Oskar and Molly walking back towards the stern. His eyes focused on Oskar but he was quickly snapped out of it by Officer Wilde tapping him on the shoulder. Harold quickly turned around and saluted him.</p><p> </p><p>“Officer Wilde.”</p><p> </p><p>“Officer Lowell, could you please come to the bridge.”</p><p> </p><p>“Yes, Officer.” Lowell was a bit curious as to what this was about, but he had a slight feeling in the pit of his stomach that it was about Oskar. He followed Officer Wilde into the bridge and into the crew quarters, walking in silence the entire way. They walked along to Harold’s room and Wilde opened the door to let Lowell in before closing it behind him.</p><p> </p><p>“Officer Lowell, It’s come to my attention that you have been fraternizing with a passenger. Specifically a male passenger.” </p><p> </p><p>Harold looked down to the ground and said nothing.</p><p> </p><p>“Officer Lowell, is that true?”</p><p> </p><p>“Yes, Sir. It is.”</p><p> </p><p>“You do know that all Officers were told that it is strictly forbidden to fraternize with passengers. Before you say that others do it, I know that the other officers do.”</p><p> </p><p>Lowell could feel some tears coming to his eyes, but he didn’t let them fall and stayed tough. Officers couldn’t cry.</p><p> </p><p>“I cannot forbid you from seeing this passenger. However, if I catch you again I will have no choice but to tell Officer Murdoch. Is that understood, Officer?”</p><p> </p><p>Lowell didn’t speak but instead kept his head down and nodded.</p><p> </p><p>“Good. I do hope you’ll use your common sense here and not see that passenger again for the remainder of the voyage.”</p><p> </p><p>“Yes Sir, I won’t interact with him again.”</p><p> </p><p>“You may get some rest now, Officer. I understand night duty was tough last night. Have a good rest.”</p><p> </p><p>Wilde walked straight out the room and closed the door behind him. Once the door was closed, Lowell locked it tight and put the chair against it to make sure nobody got in. He walked over to his bed and kicked off shoes and uniform before changing into his pyjamas. He got into his bed and tucked himself straight under the covers before finally letting the tears fall and stain his pillow. He didn’t think he would be caught. He knew that he would have to tell Oskar rather than ignoring him. He knew that it would absolutely break them both. He continued to let the tears fall until he eventually fell asleep.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Later on in the day, Harold had a steward send a message to Oskar to meet him at Oskar’s stateroom. When Oskar opened the door, he found Harold standing on the other side right on time. Harold’s expression was one of sadness and guilt.</p><p> </p><p>“Harold, come in. Is everything alright?”</p><p> </p><p>Oskar fixed them both a cup of tea and invited him to sit down. </p><p> </p><p>“Oskar. I don’t know how to tell you this.” Harold took both of Oskar’s hands and held them tightly. “I really like you, I do. But I’ve been told by a superior officer that I can’t see you anymore. If I’m even caught with you, he’ll tell the officer in charge which can have serious repercussions. I really wish it couldn’t be like this, I’d give the world to be with you. But I’ve been caught by a superior who sticks to his word. I can’t see you again, Oskar.”</p><p> </p><p>Oskar glanced up and met his eyes.</p><p> </p><p>“Is this where it ends? Please, there must be another way. This can’t be it. Please.”</p><p> </p><p>“I’m sorry, Oskar. But this is the way it has to be. I really wish I could change it but I can’t. Just… let me kiss you one last time?”</p><p> </p><p>Oskar nodded and captured Harold in a kiss, letting it linger as this may be the last time it ever happens, after a few moments they reluctantly released it.</p><p> </p><p>“I need to go, Oskar. I’m sorry. I hope you enjoy the voyage and remember to take care.” Harold kissed his cheek and walked out of the room. For a few minutes, Oskar sat in the armchair in complete shock and upset, not knowing what to do, what to say, how to feel. The tea was hot and was left untouched in both of the mugs. After a while of holding it in, he heard Eleanor open the door into the stateroom with Molly in tow.</p><p> </p><p>“Hey Oskar!” Eleanor and Molly’s faces fell from smiles to concern when they noticed the state he was in.</p><p> </p><p>“Son? What’s happened.” Molly crouched down in front of him while Eleanor took a seat next to him.</p><p> </p><p>“Harold just came by. He was told by an officer that he can’t see me again. He’s been forbidden from seeing me.” Oskar leaned into Eleanor and burst into tears. “I can’t believe this is it. I can’t see him again.”</p><p> </p><p>Eleanor looked up and gestured to Molly to run into Oskar’s stateroom and fetch a box of handkerchiefs that was sitting on the bedside. She obliged and brought them back through to the room.</p><p> </p><p>Eleanor pulled her best friend into a hug. “There must be a way we can fix this. I’m not going to let this happen.”</p><p> </p><p>“Eleanor, it’s never good to fight with an Officer.” Molly spoke kindly as that was her experience. “Oskar, you should go through and have a nap. Relax for a bit. You don’t need to come to dinner, just take your own time to relax.”</p><p> </p><p>Oskar nodded and walked through to his stateroom, closing and locking the door behind him. Eleanor and Molly exchanged worried glances.</p><p> </p><p>“No way. I’m not seeing my best friend be distraught like this. Molly, could you stay and look after Oskar, I want him to have some company in case he wakes up.”</p><p> </p><p>Molly nodded and took a seat in one of the armchairs, finding a book from their shelves and beginning to read it. She walked into her own stateroom and changed into her maid outfits so she could go into the staffing quarters. Eleanor walked out of the stateroom and closed the door behind her. No way was she going to let her best friend be upset like this. She was going to find this officer and engage in a friendly conversation with him. Eleanor knew it wasn’t the fault of the officer, but she was still mad. </p><p> </p><p>She walked along the passage to the grand staircase and went up to the boat deck. She did a round of the boat deck trying to track him down but to no avail, Eleanor was about to give up when she heard the voice of Harold getting closer. She made herself look presentable and walked up to him. “Officer Lowell. Could you come with me, there's something you’ve got to see.”</p><p> </p><p>Harold gave her a confused glance before glancing up at Officer Lightoller who told him to go see what it was. “Of course, lead the way.”</p><p>They both walked for a while and went through a door that led to some staff quarters. Eleanor found an empty room and they both walked inside. Eleanor closed and locked the door and turned on the lights. Harold sat down and gave a look of sheepishness, he knew what this was about.</p><p> </p><p>“Eleanor I-”</p><p> </p><p>“Save it.” </p><p> </p><p>Harold was taken aback by the unusually stern and authoritative tone that Eleanor took, he didn’t finish his sentence instead staying quiet.</p><p> </p><p>“Do you know how hurt you’ve gone and made that boy up there? As soon as we got back, he was crying. You’ve gone and broken him. How could you do such a thing to him? That guy finally thought he was getting somewhere with someone and now you’ve gone and trampled all over that and tossed it in the bin. Why?”</p><p> </p><p>Harold was still sheepish and was clearly very upset.</p><p> </p><p>“I wish it was my decision, but it wasn’t. I was told by one of my superiors that I couldn’t see him again because it would’ve affected my career as an officer. I didn’t know what to do and we always get told to obey our superiors.”</p><p> </p><p>Eleanor sat down next to him, now with a slightly sympathetic look. “But surely you could find a way. You officers are all clever men, you must be able to figure something out.”</p><p> </p><p>Harold gave a shrug. “This ship is busy, I don’t know how I can do it without being seen. It’s only a matter of time until I get caught by someone.”</p><p> </p><p>“But surely Oskar is worth the risk?”</p><p> </p><p>Harold paused and looked down at his feet. “Oskar means… means a lot to me. We’ve only known each other for such a short time but I get on well with him. He listens to me, he understands me, he’s just great.”</p><p> </p><p>“I know he’s great. That’s why I don’t want to see you two upset or split apart from each other.” Eleanor got up and prepared to take her leave. “Please think of something.”</p><p> </p><p>Harold nodded. “Yes. I definitely will.”</p><p> </p><p>Eleanor walked out of the room and made her way back to the stateroom without a further word. Harold sighed and went back out to resume his duties.</p><p> </p><p>Oskar woke up after a 30 minute nap to find Molly sitting on the armchair in the main room. He stretched a bit and gave a sheepish smile. “Oh hello.”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, you're awake. Eleanor is out sorting something out. How are you feeling?”</p><p> </p><p>“Not great, Molly. I don’t know how to feel, I don’t know what to do. It feels like my heart has just been stamped on and thrown into an incinerator.”</p><p> </p><p>Molly came and sat on his bedside. “Sonny, you’ll be fine. We all know you’ll be fine. It will hurt for a bit, but that’s natural. I’m sure everything will find its way eventually.”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah. I hope so.”</p><p> </p><p>“Are you going to come and join us for dinner? It might help you take your mind off it all.”</p><p> </p><p>“You know, that sounds like a nice idea.”</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Dinner passed with relatively minimal disturbances. There was no sign of Officer Lowell who normally peeked in during dinner. After dinner had concluded it was back to the smoking room with the men. Initially, Oskar hadn’t been much of a fan of Cal Hockley, but he was beginning to get to know the man a bit better which made things more comfortable. Oskar was also beginning to develop a newfound fondness for brandy. </p><p> </p><p>He was again roped into another game of chance with Cal, Benjamin and John, which they played for about an hour straight with Oskar winning a few rounds. After a while, Oskar thought it was beginning to get a bit warm in the smoking room so Oskar took a walk out to the promenade deck. The night was chilly but fresh, particularly round the aft area of the stern. As he was walking, he was snapped out of his thoughts by a sharp scream coming from the stern. He turned to look and noticed that Rose was hanging on for dear life off the end of the stern while another man was trying to pull her back over. He watched with bated breath as she was eventually pulled over and onto the ground, the man was quickly apprehended by some officers who thought there was something untoward going on. A few minutes passed before Cal ran past him with a face of anger. Oskar followed and walked up towards the stern where Cal was yelling at the mysterious man who was now in handcuffs.</p><p> </p><p>Oskar stood and watched the situation unfold, the man was very close to being arrested until Rose stuck up for him and confirmed otherwise. Oskar was a witness to the whole thing, so he had to help them both out and vouch for them.</p><p> </p><p>“Apologies for the intrusion, but I saw the whole thing and I can confirm that there wasn’t anything untoward going on. This man should be hailed as a hero.” </p><p> </p><p>Rose turned and mouthed a thank you to Oskar and he simply nodded. He watched as Cal offered him the opportunity to dine with them tomorrow, which the man accepted. Oskar knew that Cal and Ruth would use this opportunity to humiliate the man, which nearly happened with Oskar. He nodded at them both and returned back to the smoking room.</p><p> </p><p>He walked into the smoking room and took a look around, it was still as busy and as vibrant as ever, with the atmosphere being slightly happy due to the effects of the brandy setting in. He got roped into another game of chance before finishing his brandy and returning to his stateroom. He felt better after what happened earlier in the day, he felt more at ease and like he had more connections and friends on the ship than when he boarded.</p><p> </p><p>As he got back to his stateroom, he found Eleanor sitting on one of the chairs and reading a book. “Oh hello, Oskar! How are you feeling?”<br/><br/>He gave her a smile and pulled her into a hug. “I feel much better than I did earlier. I’m just going to put my mind onto enjoying the rest of this voyage. You only get one opportunity to sail on Titanic and you can bet that I’m going to enjoy it. It’s been a very busy day though, so I’m going to hit the hay. Good night!” He walked into his stateroom with a slight spring in his step. He got changed out of his clothes and hopped into bed, snuggling under the fresh sheets.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Being Bold</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Oskar gets a late night visit from Harold.</p><p>Later, Molly, Oskar and Eleanor embark on a tour of the ship with Thomas Andrews. They learn several fascinating facts about the Titanic and all of it's equipment.</p><p>In the evening, Oskar and Eleanor get bored of the first class atmosphere and end up sneaking down to the third class, where they party like they haven't partied before.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>April 13th, 1912</p><p> </p><p>The RMS Titanic was already a few days into her seven day crossing over the Atlantic to New York. She was three days into her voyage on the morning of April 13th, 1912</p><p> </p><p>Oskar was warmly wrapped up in the silk sheets of the bed when he was awoken by a rap on the backdoor into his stateroom. He got up and put on his dressing down, tying it tightly and opening the door. On the other side of the door was Harold.</p><p> </p><p>“Good Evening, Oskar. Can I come in?”</p><p> </p><p>Oskar nodded and let him in before turning on a light. “We need to stay quiet, Eleanor is asleep in her room and I don’t want to wake her. What can I help you with.”</p><p> </p><p>“I came to apologize.”</p><p> </p><p>Oskar closed the door behind them both and locked it before they both took a seat on the bed. </p><p> </p><p>“I shouldn’t have shot you down like that. I felt truly awful after I did it, and if it wasn’t for Eleanor giving me a figurative kick up the backside I wouldn’t be here apologizing as I wouldn’t have the courage to do so. I’m so, so sorry. I really do like you, Oskar. You are a breath of fresh air in my life, in the brief few days we’ve known each other, I picked up on something different about you. You listened to me, you made me feel amazing and I hope I’ve done the same to you.”</p><p> </p><p>Oskar nodded and smiled. “You have made me feel so amazing. I was broken when you told me you couldn’t see me anymore. So how are we going to do this? Are you going to sneak about?”</p><p> </p><p>“Of course. If you’ll let me.”</p><p> </p><p>“I always would.” Oskar leaned in and gave him a kiss before releasing. “You could always stay here in my stateroom tonight? Nobody will know.”</p><p> </p><p>Harold smirked at him. “Of course. I’d love that very much.”</p><p> </p><p>Oskar took off his dressing gown and got under the covers. “Are you going to join me?” </p><p> </p><p>Harold took off his uniform and got into the bed next to Oskar. As soon as he was in the bed, he pulled Oskar close and began to kiss him.  “You are simply amazing.”</p><p><br/><br/>“I try to be.” Oskar chucked in the brief moments that their lips weren’t touching. After a while, they both cuddled close to each other and looked into each other's eyes before falling asleep in their arms.</p><hr/><p>The next morning, Eleanor woke up just in time for breakfast and wondered why Oskar wasn’t awake. She put on a deep navy day dress and gently opened the door to Oskar’s stateroom. She quietly peeked in and noticed that Harold and Oskar were lying in each other's arms, fast asleep. She closed the door and walked out to breakfast with a smile on her face.</p><p> </p><p>About a half hour later, Harold woke up with Oskar. “I wish I didn’t have to go, but I’m on duty.” </p><p> </p><p>Oskar lay in the bed and looked down at the uniform as well as Oskar’s pyjamas scattered over the floor. “Do you have to go?”</p><p> </p><p>“I wish I couldn’t, but I have to otherwise they’ll get suspicious.” Harold got ready and fixed his hair before planting a kiss on Oskar’s lips and saying a goodbye. He walked out the backdoor and took a quick look to make sure nobody could see before walking towards the Grand Staircase.</p><p> </p><p>Oskar took a look at the clock and put on a suit and made his way to the Cafe Parisien to meet Molly and Eleanor. Oskar was able to afford dining in the restaurant and cafe every day, due to the amount of money he makes from his business and his inheritance from his parents. He was very happy after spending the night with Harold. He entered the cafe and found Molly, Eleanor and surprisingly Mr Andrews. Oskar walked over to them and took a seat. “Molly, Eleanor, Mr Andrews.”</p><p> </p><p>“Morning, Oskar. How are you enjoying the voyage?”<br/><br/>“I’m enjoying the voyage very much, Mr Andrews. This ship truly is a spectacle of the time. You’ve built a strong one. It must be strong if it’s unsinkable.”</p><p> </p><p>“I’m glad you are enjoying it. You have Mr Ismay to thank for the idea and the design. The Titanic is nearly identical to the Olympic, except with a few alterations.” Thomas made no mention of the fact it was unsinkable, as well as his expression being unreadable.</p><p> </p><p>“You know, I normally get seasick on long voyagers, but the rocking has actually helped me fall asleep easier. That and the quality of the beds is outstanding.” Eleanor spoke while taking a sip of some orange juice.</p><p> </p><p>They ordered their breakfast and made small talk until it was delivered. They had a rather remarkable Full English on the menu, which Oskar, Eleanor, Molly and Thomas ordered.</p><p> </p><p>The breakfast consisted of sausages, bacon, fried egg, some mushrooms, baked tomato as well as some baked beans. The presentation was outstanding as to be expected by a company as prestigious as White Star. The plates were all new china with the White Star flag and the name RMS Titanic proudly engraved onto each plate. As they ate their breakfast, the conversation turned to the weather, which was remarkably clear for this time of year. There weren't any bumps in the water, the voyage was smooth so far. The conversation then turned back to the amenities on the ship.</p><p> </p><p>“Did you have a say in designing the staterooms, Mr Andrews?”</p><p> </p><p>“I had a bit of a say yes, but the decoration was mainly the idea of Mr Ismays. He wanted it to be luxurious, so he went off some European and Tudor based styles. The parlor suites that you are staying in are the best on the ship, from a personal viewpoint.”</p><p> </p><p>Oskar nodded. “The quality is outstanding, this ship is a marvel. I’ve never had an electric bed warmer before, I might invest in one when I arrive in New York.”</p><p> </p><p>“Where does all the bed linen go, Mr Andrews. They get changed almost daily but there's no laundry rooms onboard?”</p><p> </p><p>“We’ve got a drying room on F deck, we store the bed linen there so that it doesn’t gather mildew before it goes for washing when we dock in New York.”</p><p> </p><p>“Are we still expected to arrive on time?”</p><p> </p><p>“Mr Ismay has been pushing for the ship to arrive early in order to make headlines. The Captain has lit the last few boilers in a push to arrive on Tuesday night.” Thomas leaned in and whispered. “Between this table, I don’t think the Captain was that happy about being pushed to turn on the extra boilers.”</p><p> </p><p>“If I was the Captain, I wouldn’t be either.”</p><p> </p><p>“Would you like to accompany me on a tour of the bridge after breakfast?”</p><p> </p><p>Molly, Eleanor and Oskar all agreed on Thomas’ offer.</p><p> </p><p>“Great, meet me at the Grand Staircase once you have finished your breakfast.”</p><p> </p><p>Thomas stood up and took his leave. Molly, Oskar and Eleanor finished their tea and biscuits before getting up and retiring to their staterooms to get changed.</p><hr/><p>At about 11:30am, they met with Thomas Andrews at the ever bustling grand staircase.</p><p> </p><p>“Ah good. Let’s begin.”</p><p> </p><p>Thomas smiled and led them up the stairs to the boat deck where they exited into the sea air.</p><p> </p><p>“So, the lifeboats have a maximum capacity of 65 people each. There are twenty lifeboats on the Titanic, 16 are lowered on the davits, this machinery here with four other collapsibles stored above. So altogether these can accommodate 1,178 people.”</p><p> </p><p>Oskar thought to himself that that seemed an awfully low number given the amount of passengers onboard the Titanic, but he chose not to say anything out of the fear of causing alarm. They followed Thomas along to the bridge, where Captain Smith was standing and glancing out the glass window. Second officer Lightoller and Sixth Officer Moody were standing behind him and quietly talking.</p><p> </p><p>“Captain, would you mind talking our guests through the various systems on the bridge.”</p><p> </p><p>Captain Smith tipped his hat at the trio. “Of course, Mr Andrews.” He walked over to the telegraphs that they used to relay orders down to the engine room.</p><p> </p><p>“If for any reason we need to speed up or slow down or even come to a full stop, we use this handy system here. If we move the lever into its respective position it will send a signal down to the boiler room and indicate what they need to do. Right now we are in All Ahead Full, so if we had to change to Half, we’d use the system to instruct the crew in the engine room that we need to slow down.”</p><p> </p><p>Oskar was genuinely fascinated by how it all worked. No wonder Harold enjoyed working as an officer. Their tour was interrupted briefly by one of the wireless operators coming up to the Captain, he looked rather frustrated.</p><p> </p><p>“Captain, I was working Cape Race and the marconi wireless has broken down. I’ve got a ton of messages to send through which simply can’t wait until we dock.”</p><p> </p><p>“Alright, Bride. See to it, would you?”</p><p> </p><p>“Yes, Captain.”</p><p> </p><p>Bride saluted the Captain and made his way back to the wireless room.</p><p> </p><p>“Right. Follow me.”</p><p> </p><p>He showed them along to the wheelhouse where Quartermaster Hitchens was in charge of the wheel.</p><p> </p><p>“Quartermaster Hitchens, how are things looking here?”</p><p> </p><p>“Everything is smooth going, Captain. Nothing to report.”</p><p> </p><p>“Excellent. Continue.”</p><p>After they had taken a look at what was left of the bridge, the tour continued with another walk along the boat deck.</p><p> </p><p>“Mr Andrews, how many crew are working on this ship?” Eleanor was curious to know how many crew the Titanic actually carried.</p><p> </p><p>“Good question, Eleanor. The Titanic has 885 crew split into 8 groups. There are six officers, 49 deckhands, 150 engineering staff, 421 stewards, maids, matrons and cashiers, 66 waiters in the restaurant, five postal clerks, nine crew members who are responsible for making any finishing touches during the voyager and eight members of the orchestra.”</p><p> </p><p>“Good heavens, that’s quite a lot of crew.”</p><p> </p><p>“I know. I’m rather impressed with myself for being able to list that off by heart.”</p><p> </p><p>“What are the conditions like for the crew?”</p><p> </p><p>Thomas rubbed his forehead. “Surprisingly good, I ensured that the crew were given good accommodation to ensure a good rest. However, it can get very warm down in the stokers, with temperatures hitting 49 degrees.”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh my. I wouldn’t like to be working down there, but they do a marvellous job of keeping this vessel going.”</p><p> </p><p>“That they do. Shall we continue the tour?”</p><p> </p><p>They all nodded as they walked along the boat deck, Oskar glanced up at the four mighty funnels.</p><p> </p><p>“Do all of those funnels work?”</p><p> </p><p>“Keep this a little secret, but only three of the funnels work. The fourth one was installed as a fake because it made the ship look more complete, it’s actually a ventilation shaft for the kitchens.”</p><p> </p><p>“Very clever, I’m assuming you had a say in that Mr Andrews?”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh I did, but keep that quiet.”</p><p> </p><p>They all shared a laugh as they continued to walk along the deck, Molly had to take her leave as she had planned to go for tea which she worries she may have missed. The rest of the afternoon passed rather uneventfully for Oskar and Eleanor. One major difference was that the temperature was getting gradually colder as the ship headed ever so slightly north on her long voyage to New York, everybody was beginning to wrap up a bit more.</p><hr/><p>Dinner was rather uneventful as Eleanor and Oskar sat alone for it as Molly was dining with the DeWitt Bukkater’s. They couldn’t hear what was being discussed but they could tell that Ruth was trying to humiliate the poor man that saved the life of Rose. Dinner was rather boring, which was rare for the Titanic. Eleanor and Oskar had already had a few small drinks during dinner, so they were feeling rather bold.</p><p> </p><p>“Have you ever felt bold, Oskar?”</p><p> </p><p>“All the time, Eleanor. Why so?”</p><p> </p><p>“Well, I was thinking. There is so much of this ship we are yet to explore. Why don’t we go and take a look at third class.”</p><p> </p><p>“That’s a great idea. Let’s do it, I feel like a bit of spontaneous behaviour.”</p><p> </p><p>They chuckled to each other and finished their drinks. They walked down the grand staircase down to C deck, where the third class general room was. They wandered through an open door and heard loud music coming from the general room.</p><p> </p><p>“Something sounds lively.”</p><p> </p><p>They walked down the steps to the general room and noticed that it was very crowded with a lively atmosphere. They smiled at each other and took in the room. There were children, families, women and men all laughing, having a good time and dancing without a care in the world. It was a stark contrast to what life was like in First Class, which was rather boring in comparison. They noticed that there was an opening in the middle of the room where people were dancing.</p><p> </p><p>“Would you like to join me in a dance, Eleanor?”</p><p> </p><p>“Me? I thought you’d never ask.”</p><p> </p><p>Oskar grabbed his best friend's hand and ran over to the space. They got a few looks from the third class passengers as it was extremely rare that somebody from first class would set foot in the third class. The music that was being played was commonly used for river dance, which some of the ladies were doing. </p><p> </p><p>The music was rather fast but luckily for Oskar and Eleanor, the dancing that they did in their spare time as teenagers really paid off. They quickly joined the rhythm of circling the dancefloor. They laughed at each other and nodded to some of the other third class passengers who were impressed with their dancing skills. After a few minutes of dancing, they walked over to a table and took a drink which they had never tried before. They took a sip of it and it was rather delightful, it was an ale of some sort but they couldn’t get the name. They sipped their drinks rather quickly.</p><p> </p><p>“This is amazing, why didn’t we do this sooner?” Eleanor laughed as she clapped her hands to the beat of the music.</p><p> </p><p>“I don’t know, but we need to do this more. This is such a relief from being upstairs.” </p><p> </p><p>Their conversation was cut off by a rather dashing Irishman asking for Eleanor’s hand in a dance. She looked a bit conflicted but Oskar gestured for her to go up. He laughed as he downed the rest of his drink and clapped along to the music. Before long, he glanced over and noticed that Rose of all people was coming down with the man who saved her from falling. Rose immediately locked eyes with Oskar so he gestured her over.</p><p> </p><p>“Hello! I don’t believe we’ve been formally introduced. Oskar Fields.”</p><p> </p><p>“Rose DeWitt Bukkater.”</p><p> </p><p>“I’m guessing you also got bored of the first class.”</p><p> </p><p>“I did. This is Jack Dawson.”</p><p> </p><p>“Oskar Fields. It’s great to meet you.”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh Oskar. I forgot to thank you for defending my story yesterday evening.”</p><p> </p><p>“It’s no worry at all!” Oskar was asked to dance by a middle aged woman who had taken a slight shine to Oskar. He obliged and took her up, gently dancing to the music with her to make sure that she wasn’t overwhelmed. After a few minutes of dancing and brief chatter, he made his way back to the table to join Eleanor who had hit it off with the Irishman she was dancing with. Shortly after, Jack and Rose returned to the table with a few others in tow. Eleanor introduced herself to them all as did Oskar. The Irishman that Eleanor was dancing with was called Tommy, while the other man called Fabrizio was with a girl called Helga who seemed to speak very little English. Jack quickly went to fetch some drinks for them all.</p><p> </p><p>“So, what do you think of the third class?” Jack asked as he set the drinks down on the table.</p><p> </p><p>“It’s different. I’ve always had a sheer curiosity to find out what life was like down here, and boy am I glad to have come down here. It was Eleanor’s idea, we felt a little bit bold.”</p><p> </p><p>“Life is all about making choices, and you seem like you’ve made a great one.”</p><p> </p><p>They took a sip of their drinks and began to get to know each other a bit. Oskar learned that Jack travelled around and did drawings of people, Fabrizio was his best friend and Tommy they had met the other day. They continued to party as the night drew on, as more drinks were consumed and the atmosphere got more lively. Oskar got roped into an arm wrestling match with Jack, Tommy and Fabrizio. Oskar won against Jack and Fabrizio, while he just lost to Tommy. However, there was no competitive spirit as it was all in the name of fun. A little while later, the same lady came back and asked Oskar to dance with her again, which he obliged. He clearly wasn’t going to shake the lady off anytime soon, as nice as she was. Oskar was eventually released from the lady who was taken upstairs by her friend.</p><p> </p><p>He watched as Rose took a smoke from a cigarette and stood on the dance floor. He wasn’t expecting Rose to gradually rise up so high that she was eventually using one of her toes to balance herself. She held the position for a few seconds before inevitably coming back down.</p><p> </p><p>“That was incredible, Rose.”</p><p> </p><p>“Why thank you, Oskar.”</p><p> </p><p>They continued to chat, dance and drink until around one in the morning. Things started to die down around there, and Oskar and Eleanor were feeling exhausted but rather merry and giddy. They decided to take their leave and return to their cabins. As they ascended happily up the stairs, the music eventually got fainter until they were back on the all too familiar B deck. They tried to keep quiet, but Oskar ended up falling on his face which meant that Eleanor couldn’t hold in the giggles.</p><p> </p><p>From the clock between B and A deck on the grand staircase, they were being watched by Officer Lowell who couldn’t help but laugh at the prospect of Oskar falling on his face. He walked down the stairs with a chuckle.</p><p> </p><p>“Eleanor, dear. Could you help me back up?”</p><p> </p><p>Eleanor noticed Harold had appeared and gestured for him to look up. Oskar’s face turned to sheer embarrassment combined with laughter as he noticed Harold was smiling down at him.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh hello, Harold.”</p><p> </p><p>“Good evening, Oskar. Are you okay?”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh we are grand, absolutely wonderful. We’ve just had a rather nice time down in the third class.”</p><p> </p><p>Harold gave him a smirk, he knew it was forbidden but there was nothing to stop passengers from first class venturing down if they so wished.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh bloody hell I must look like a fool on the floor like this.” Oskar noticed his appearance was slightly dishevelled, his bow tie was off and his hair was slightly messy. “Help me up would you?”</p><p> </p><p>Harold and Eleanor both took a hand each and pulled him up. </p><p> </p><p>“I think you should help me walk Oskar back to the stateroom.” Eleanor spoke as if she wasn’t in a state herself, but her state was very similar to Oskar’s. Her cardigan was off and her hair was taken out of it’s braids. Harold nodded and they walked back to their cabins, Harold was able to take Oskar back to his stateroom to place him on the bed. Oskar instantly fell asleep without getting changed. Harold looked at him for a moment before planting a kiss on his forehead.</p><p> </p><p>“Goodnight, Oskar.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Oh heck, April 13th. We know what is coming up soon. I can trust that you won't be disappointed.</p><p>Next chapter will be the calm before the storm.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. The Calmness</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Oskar and Eleanor explore a little bit more of the Titanic. The Titanic receives some warnings about ice nearby from other ships. Later on, Harold confesses his love for Oskar while Eleanor joins Molly for drinks in the Cafe Verandah. Suddenly, the Titanic is rocked as it strikes an iceberg.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>April 14th 1912</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Jack Phillips and Harold Bride, the two wireless operators of the Titanic were at work relaying messages from the passengers after the wireless system broke down the day before. As they worked to get the messages out, an ice warning came in from the RMS Caronia.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Harold, the Caronia has just sent an ice warning reporting of bergs, growlers and field ice.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Pass it to me, I’ll relay it to Captain Smith.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Harold printed off the warning and walked up to the bridge to inform the Captain. Once he had got to the bridge, he saluted the Captain.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Captain, an ice warning has just come in from the RMS Caronia.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Captain Smith took the slip from Harold and read it over before nodding.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Thank you, Bride.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Sir.” Harold nodded and returned back to the wireless room. Once he was back in the room, he helped Jack with relaying the messages to Cape Race, the station that received and transmitted the passenger messages.</span>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <span>Down in the staterooms, Oskar had just stirred with an almighty headache from last night’s party. Eleanor felt fine as she walked into the room putting on one of her earrings.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“How are you feeling?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I feel a little bit squiffy. It was very enjoyable last night.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Are you coming to join us for breakfast? You need to eat something if you want to lift that headache.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah, alright. I’ll have something lite, my stomach feels a little bit funny.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Will you be able to walk unaided, you did fall on your face last night.” She chuckled as she recalled him falling flat on his face in front of Harold.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes. Don’t remind me.” He gave a sheepish smile. “I must’ve looked like an absolute fool.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“No comment. Come on, get up and get dressed.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Oskar quickly got up and put on a suit before making his way to the Cafe Parisien, where they arrived at around 09:15. They weren’t joined by Molly Brown who had prior arrangements to take breakfast with John Jacob Astor. Oskar ordered the grilled ham, grilled sausage and mashed potato. They also got some rolls and preserve as well as fresh fruit, which was standard with the First Class breakfast on Titanic. The breakfast came and was presented as it normally was, with nothing amiss. There was also some well sugared tea which Oskar gladly took up to try and kick the headache.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I can’t believe we’ve been on this boat for four days now. It’s going so quick and we are already halfway there.” Eleanor spoke as she took a sip of her coffee.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I know, but I am getting a bit bored looking out at nothing but the open ocean.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“We should take breakfast on our promenade deck tomorrow, we are able to.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s a great idea. It’ll make a change from dining here.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Oskar and Eleanor continued to converse while they ate their dinner and drank their tea. Breakfast was relatively uneventful, the only thing being that Rose and Cal weren’t at the table this morning.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Are we going to the church service later?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“No, Eleanor. We never went to church at home, so why should we go now. I don’t understand it personally.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You’ve got a point, we could visit the gym a little bit later on.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Good idea. I’ve been in need of a workout.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>They finished their breakfast and walked along to the grand staircase before walking up to A deck and wandering along the promenade deck. Oskar glanced down and noticed that there were some slight chunks of ice in the water.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Eleanor, do you see that?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh! It’s some ice. We are in the north so I’m not surprised that there's ice. It’s also rather cold.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Good point.” They walked arm in arm down the promenade deck taking in the views. They walked to the front of the ship and took a look out over the bow where the third class passengers could gather. The view ahead was stunning with nothing but the ocean on either side of them. They walked and talked to each other and laughed as they walked around the ship before ascending to the boat deck and sitting down on a bench.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I don’t ever want to disembark this boat. I’m in love with it too much.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Oskar watched as Harold walked past, deep in conversation with fourth officer Boxhall. Harold nodded to Oskar when their eyes met, which made Oskar begin to feel a blush creep on his face.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Awww, little Oskar is blushing.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Hush Eleanor, I am not.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Are so.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Are not.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>They laughed at each other's antics, granted they were in their mid twenties, but they couldn’t help but be childish towards each other every so often. A horn sounded to signal the start of church service which several passengers went inside to go to. After everybody had went inside, the ship was eerily quiet which was strange compared to the hustle and bustle during the day.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Gym?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Oskar and Eleanor both got up and went to their staterooms to change into their gym clothing and went along to the gym and began to exercise. The gym was clean but very small, nobody was in it because of the ongoing church service but they could still see a few passengers wandering the deck. However, there wasn’t an officer in sight as they were all required to go to the church service. After a while of working out, they left the gym and retired to their staterooms to go and relax before lunch.</span>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <span>As the day wore on, so did the ice warnings. There was one from the RMS Baltic as well as one from the SS Amerika which never made it through. The wireless operators weren’t concerned, as it was normal for there to be a lot of ice in this part of the Atlantic, as they were some miles south of Greenland, which had a lot of ice surrounding it. The day was just like any other, except more and more passengers reported chunks of ice as the ship continued its course to New York.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Later, Captain Smith ordered that the Titanic take a new course which will send the ship a little bit more south to try and avoid the ice that they were warned about.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Before they knew it, it was seven o’clock which meant it was time for dinner. Oskar and Eleanor were dressed in their finest and joined Molly Brown at her table.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The menu included some rather bizarre choices such as Oysters which Oskar and Eleanor both weren’t fond of.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Oskar ordered the Filet Mignon, which came with vegetables such as potatoes and green peas. Eleanor ordered the Lamb with a little bit of mint sauce. Finally, Molly ordered the Roast Duckling which came with Apple sauce. All the dishes came with the same vegetables. The food arrived, accompanied with some glasses of champagne and wine, presented immaculately as to be expected.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Dinner tonight was rather lively as they all had a laugh with the stories from the third class party that Oskar and Eleanor went to the night before.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“See, I’ve been raised to be polite. I was asked to dance at least twice by this very polite lady who I’m sure had taken a fancy to me. Scottish she was, I only got a break when she was taken back to her cabin by someone else.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I see.” Molly took a sip of her wine. She had never experienced the third class before, but she had been part of that social class.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Then when we were on our way back to the cabin, I fell flat on my face in the middle of the grand staircase. I had to fall right in front of Officer Lowell, I looked like a right fool.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Molly couldn’t hold in the laughter as the mental image of Oskar falling on his face was too funny to not laugh at.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s right, laugh at my pain.” All three of them shared a laugh and finished off their main course. Once the main courses had been finished, it was time for dessert. The three of them all ordered the chocolate eclairs which came with french ice cream.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Oskar bit into his eclair and fell in love with the taste of it. The chocolate topping was smooth, the cream was nice and cold and the pastry was just right. He then took a spoonful of ice cream which had the most wonderful vanilla taste. Dessert was accompanied by more wine. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>As they were close to finishing dessert, Oskar was offered by Guggenheim if he wanted to come to the smoking room. Oskar declined as he was still feeling rather under the weather from last night and the thoughts of smoking and brandy made him feel ever so slightly unwell. They finished their dessert around nine o’clock and made their way out of the grand staircase to ascend to the boat deck and take a walk before retiring to their stateroom.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The air was nearly freezing when they stepped out, resulting in them quickly returning to grab their heavy coats. Once they had put their coats on, they wrapped up warm and walked arm in arm along the boat deck. The sea air made Oskar feel better as his headache and slight sickness from the night before was gone.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Eleanor and Oskar glanced down and noticed that the water was extremely still.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“God, look at that.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>They could clearly see the lights of the ship and the stars above reflected in the water. There wasn’t a single disturbance or ripple in the water, the only roughness was around the Titanic as she ploughed onwards towards New York.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s spectacular.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>They glanced up and took a look at the stars, it was an exceptionally clear night, something that still took them by surprise anytime they were out on the boat deck at night. After a while of stargazing and silence, they really began to feel the cold and retired back inside to their stateroom. It was around 10pm by the time they got inside and they were visited by Molly Brown who invited Eleanor for a few drinks in the Verandah Cafe. Oskar didn’t mind and felt tired early so he gestured for her to go.</span>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <span>In the crew quarters, Harold decided to write some letters to home to try and get back in touch with his parents, he would post them as soon as he arrived in New York. After a while of writing, he was bored. He was badly missing Oskar, so he decided to sneak along to his stateroom, making sure nobody could see him. He knocked on the back door and waited for Oskar to answer.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Oskar was lying in his bed, having taken his blazer and bow-tie off when he heard a knock on the door. He opened it to find Harold on the other side, who he pulled in by his tie.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Well aren’t you a sight for these sore eyes.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Good evening, Oskar. How are you feeling after falling on your face last night?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Much better! Though I can’t help but think about how foolish I looked.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You looked slightly foolish, I’ll admit. But it was funny.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Fine, laugh at my suffering.” Oskar gave him a fake pout. “What brings you here anyway?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I wanted to see you. I have something I want to tell you.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Harold sat down on the edge of the bed and gestured for Oskar to do the same. Harold took both of Oskar’s hands in his own and looked right into his eyes.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Oskar. Since I first met you, I’ve thought about you constantly. I love your smile, your laugh, your appearance, I love everything about you. I can never get you out of my head, even when I’m on duty, the thoughts of you distract me. I am very smitten for you, Oskar.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Oskar smiled with happiness, with some tears forming in his eyes. “Harold… I’m smitten for you too. Do any of the other officers know?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes. Murdoch, Moody and Wilde know. Wilde ended up telling Murdoch anyway, but Murdoch surprisingly had my back and said that it doesn’t matter what we get up to off-duty.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Huh, I bet you were relieved.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I certainly was, I thought I was going to lose my position. Anyway, I love you Oskar.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Oskar really started to blush at this point. “I… I love you too Harold.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>They both pulled each other into a long kiss. “Stay with me tonight, Harold. I want you.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Of course.” They chuckled at each other and continued to kiss as Harold took off his uniform and Oskar took off the rest of his suit. They took in each other and lay down on the bed, getting under the covers and embracing each other.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I wish you could get off with me, Harold.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Don’t worry, I’ll find a way.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Oskar took him in and ran a hand through Harold’s hair which he rarely saw as he always had a hat on. He pulled him into an embrace and smiled. They got closer together as the kisses got more and more passionate. They longed for each other, they yearned for each other.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I want you, Oskar.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Oskar raised an eyebrow as he clocked on to what Harold meant. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You can have me.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>They went back to passionately kissing each other among other things. (Y’all get it!)</span>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <span>Meanwhile, Molly and Eleanor were having a pleasant conversation in the Verandah Cafe. They hadn’t interacted much as they didn’t know much about each other, but what they did know they liked.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Oskar is very lucky to have you by his side, Eleanor. I wish I had a friendship like that here on the Titanic. Some of the other first class ladies don’t see me worthy to join them.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s their loss at the end of the day, Molly. If they can’t handle you then they are simply intolerant.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Thank you. It means a lot. Do you want another drink?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“That’d be lovely.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Molly ordered them both a cocktail and they continued to laugh and converse with each other.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The time was around twenty to midnight and everything was peaceful. Officer Murdoch had just started his duty and was busy smirking at Jack and Rose kissing on the bow. The two lookouts, Frederick Fleet and Reginald Lee both caught a glimpse of something rather large getting closer and closer to them. It was an iceberg.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Bugger me.” Fleet started ringing the bell which caught Murdoch’s attention who began to squint and got a glimpse of the iceberg approaching. Fleet also picked up the phone to ring the bridge to inform them that they were about to strike an iceberg. “Pick up you bastards!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Moody walked to the phone, tea in hand and picked up.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“What do you see?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Iceberg, right ahead!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Thank you.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Officer’s Moody and Murdoch began instructing the quartermaster to turn hard to starboard, while they sent a telepathy message down to the engine room to put it into full astern. The quartermaster turned the wheel until it was hard over.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Murdoch watched with bated breath as the iceberg got closer and closer. The ship began to slightly turn which made Murdoch have a little bit of hope, but it was to no avail. With an almighty screech and a shudder the RMS Titanic struck the iceberg on her port side.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Oskar and Harold were lying in the bed, their hair a mess and their faces flushed when they felt a shudder which made Harold a little bit worried.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Did you feel that?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I did, what was that?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Harold leaped out of the bed and began pulling his uniform back on. If there was even so much as a shudder he would have to investigate it.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Oskar, I’ll be back as soon as I can. Obey any orders given to you by a steward. I love you.” Harold finished getting ready and planted a kiss on his lips.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I love you too, Harold.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Harold walked out and ran straight up to the bridge. Oskar put his suit back on and made his way to the Cafe Verandah to meet up with Eleanor. Little did they know, the worst was yet to come.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Alone.</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The Titanic has just struck the iceberg and chaos is slowly beginning to ensue.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>April 14th 1912</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>It is the evening of April 14th 1912, and the RMS Titanic has just struck the fateful iceberg. Oskar hurried along the corridor to Cafe Verandah to meet up with Molly and Eleanor. Once he got there, he found that they were a little bit concerned too.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Did you two feel it also?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I did, what was it?” Molly spoke as she finished off her drink.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m not sure, but Harold was worried so he hurried off to the bridge. I think we should go back to our cabins just in case.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Molly nodded and hurried back to her own, Oskar and Eleanor lagged behind a bit. They began walking back to their cabins and passed by the grand staircase which was a slight hubbub of confusion. He noticed Thomas Andrews walking past with a rather serious expression on his face and carrying a large sheet of paper. Oskar walked down the corridor while talking to Eleanor.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Do you think it’s something serious?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I hope not, Eleanor.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Oskar saw a steward walking past who he flagged down. “Excuse me, do you know what's going on?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“We’ve likely thrown a propeller blade, that’s why. Would you like me to bring some tea to your stateroom?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes… Sure.” Oskar nodded as he made his way into his stateroom with Eleanor following behind. He opened the door to the stateroom and sat down in an armchair, with Eleanor sitting in the other one. They sat in worry for a few minutes as the steward brought in the tea.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Thank you.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>They took a nervous sip of their tea as a about 15 minutes passed. After a while, a steward came into the room with two life jackets in hand.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“What’s going on?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Sir, Miss. The Captain has instructed all passengers to put on their lifevests and gather upstairs immediately.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Is this a drill?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m not sure, Sir. I’m only telling you what we’ve been told. Please put these on, dress warmly and come up to the boat deck.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Oskar nodded and put on his heavy coat, while Eleanor put on her violet coloured coat. They both put their life jackets on top of their clothing and gave a worried glance to each other.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, this has certainly taken a turn.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I agree.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Oskar and Eleanor walked out of the stateroom and Oskar locked the door behind him. As they got to the grand staircase, they noticed that there was a lot of other passengers asking questions but not getting answers.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m going to find out myself. Let’s go to the third class.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Oskar and Eleanor walked down the stairs to G deck, which was relatively dry. They walked out and looked around the passenger quarters when they noticed that there was water coming in towards the bow end of the ship. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh my god.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Eleanor clasped her hands over her mouth as stewards hurried to wake up the passengers asleep in the few cabins near the bow. Oskar and Eleanor quickly walked back up the stairs to B deck.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Is the ship sinking?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I hope not. But there shouldn’t be water in the ship.” As they walked past the other third class decks, they noticed that there were lots of gates closed with passengers trying to get out. Oskar and Eleanor looked for a moment before climbing back up to B deck. Once they got onto B deck, they came across Molly Brown who was already ready.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh good, I found you. The stewards aren’t answering any questions as they don’t know the answers either.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes, we noticed the same when someone came in and asked us to put on our life vests.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Molly Brown walked upstairs to try and find another steward who would actually answer her. Oskar noticed that a few passengers were beginning to get sick of waiting and made their way back to their cabins, thinking that there was no issue. After about 10 minutes of waiting, the clock struck quarter past midnight. Passengers began making their way up on deck, where they all gathered to await orders. They noticed that crewmen were underway taking the covers off of the lifeboats. A few passengers remarked that it was rather late at night to have a lifeboat drill. Some were annoyed that they were woken from their sleep and were adamant on complaining to White Star as soon as the ship docked in New York.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Nobody was getting answers, the sound of steam discharging from the funnels made it near impossible to hear what the crew members were saying. Oskar and Eleanor were worried as they saw the water beginning to flood in on G deck, which meant the ship was going to sink. Oskar and Eleanor retired back inside to shelter from the cold. The atmosphere onboard the ship was surprisingly calm as many of the passengers didn’t believe that there was a risk of the ship sinking. Oskar saw Harold walking past outside, so he quickly ran after him to try and find out any information he could.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Officer.” He addressed him by his title as there were lots of passengers and crew around. “Do you know anything more about what's happening?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I don’t know much at the time, Mr Fields. All I know and all I’m going to reiterate is that you should muster and remain on the boat deck until further notice.” Oskar noticed a glint in Harold’s eyes that showed he really wanted to pull him into a hug, but he couldn’t. As Oskar was on his way back inside, he noticed Mr Andrews going past on his way back from the boat deck.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Mr Andrews. What’s happening?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Thomas gestured for him to follow and they walked back into the foyer to find Eleanor. Thomas led them both to a corner and spoke quietly.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“As soon as they put the call out, get to a boat. Don’t wait.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Why, what’s happening?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“She’s sinking, Oskar. She has a few hours at most. I’m sorry.” Thomas finished his sentence and walked quickly downstairs to help with the preparations. Oskar watched as Mr Ismay walked past, who looked rather unhappy about being woken so late at night.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I thought she was unsinkable. I can’t believe she’s sinking.” Eleanor was nearly frozen to the spot in complete horror after what Thomas had told them.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“We’ll be alright, Eleanor. We always are.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Eleanor nodded as they both pulled each other into a hug.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“We better be alright, Oskar.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“We will be.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>They stood and looked around for a few minutes, not knowing what to say to each other. They were too distracted by the hubbub in the grand staircase of the various passengers conversing with one another. Oskar looked out of the window and noticed that the crew were frantically running around trying to prepare the lifeboats. Oskar took Eleanor’s arm and they both walked out to the starboard boat deck, where they came across Murdoch and Harold doing the final preparations to launch Boat 7. They stood and watched for a while until Murdoch was informed that they were ready to load the boats, with women and children first. Harold gestured to Eleanor to board the boat as did Oskar.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Eleanor, you need to go onboard. You need to survive this.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I thought we stuck together, Oskar.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“We will be together again, I’ll promise you. Please, for me. Go.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Eleanor had tears in her eyes about the prospect of leaving her friend onboard a sinking ship, but as Oskar insisted, she obliged.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You better get out of this alive, boy.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ll ensure it.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Oskar stood back while Murdoch and Harold began to lower Lifeboat 7, which was the first lifeboat to be launched from the Titanic. Oskar watched as the boat got lower and lower until it hit the water and the ropes detached, then it began rowing away into the darkness of the night. Harold walked over to Oskar and looked into his eyes.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Eleanor will be fine. I promise.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Murdoch turned to see where Harold went and noticed that he was comforting Oskar. He sighed a bit and noticed how much Oskar actually meant to Harold.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Officer Lowell, we need to go and prepare Lifeboat 5 for launching.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes, Officer Murdoch.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Harold looked at him before walking with Murdoch to go and prepare Lifeboat 5. Oskar sighed and made his way back into the grand staircase. He took a seat in one of the corner chairs and ordered a brandy from a passing steward who obliged. This was his first time being truly alone. Molly was somewhere, Eleanor was being saved and Harold was doing his officer duty. His brandy arrived and he took a small sip of it. He also noticed the band making their way out onto the boat deck to play some music, presumably to try and keep the passengers calm.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>After a while of sipping his brandy, he was flagged down by Molly Brown who was making her way to the boat deck with the DeWitt Bukater family.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Oskar, come with us sonny.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Oskar finished his brandy and nodded. He noticed that Rose was lagging behind slightly so he stepped into pace behind her. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Is everything alright?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“They arrested Jack.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“What, why?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Apparently he stole the necklace that Cal got me. They searched Jack and they found it in his coat. I don’t believe it though, I was with him the entire time.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s horrible. Do you know where he is?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m not sure, but I can’t go and search for him, Mother and Cal have me under their watchful eye.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>They arrived out on the boat deck and made their way along to Lifeboat 6. He watched Ruth as she called out to the officers.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Will the boats be seated according to class?” She turned to everyone else with a chuckle. “I hope they aren’t too crowded.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Oskar gave her a glare out of the corner of his eye while Rose informed her that there weren't enough boats and that half the people onboard were going to die. Ruth and Molly got into Lifeboat 6, while Molly tried coaxing Rose in but to no avail. Lightoller would not allow Cal or Oskar in as he believed it was women and children only, unlike Murdoch who believed it to be women and children first. He watched as Rose ran off, presumably to find Jack. Oskar walked up the boat deck, towards the stern before heading back inside. Oskar had to find a way to get off this ship and he wasn’t going to stop trying. He knew that he had no chance of getting in the boats on the Port side, so his only opportunity was out via the starboard side.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>It had been over 90 minutes since the Titanic struck the iceberg, and the boat deck was beginning to get more and more manic as people noticed the bow starting to go under, with water pouring over the very end of the bow. The orchestra was out in swing, playing cheerful music to try and calm the passengers down but not many people were listening. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Oskar instead took himself over to a bench and sat down. He was extremely optimistic about getting off, but there was always the chance he wouldn’t get off. As he sat down on the bench he flashbacked to the time he first met Eleanor and Edward.</span>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <span>A six year old Oskar is walking through the park with his mother, Elizabeth. She was a stern but fair woman who enjoyed treating Oskar when they were out. Oskar had always been taught to be kind and helpful to everyone. The teachings came into play when there was a fair in the park, which Oskar looked forward to every year. His father was at work, so it was almost tradition for Elizabeth to take her son to the fair. Oskar asked his mum for a yellow balloon which she got him. As they were walking through the park, which was snugly located in the middle of Kensington, Oskar noticed a little girl with her Mother carrying a yellow balloon who tripped and fell over. She began crying as she watched the yellow balloon fly up into the sky.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>As Oskar was raised right, he walked over to the little girl.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You can have my balloon.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Are you sure?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes, I’m sure.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Oskar handed the balloon over to the little girl as their mothers smiled.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“What a sweet little boy.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Thank you.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Elizabeth looked at the other woman and recognised her as a neighbour.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh Lydia! I didn’t recognize you with that hat on.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Is this your son then, Elizabeth?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes. This is Oskar, and I’m assuming this girl is little Eleanor Fisher?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Oskar was a little bit nervous to introduce himself, his Mother gave him a quick nudge and he introduced himself. Everything else from that point on was history. Years and years of playdates, going to school together and eventually starting up the business. </span>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <span>10 years later, a teenage Oskar and Eleanor are in school together. They wandered the yard in front of the school talking to each other, when a few other boys decided to play a cruel trick by flinging a water bomb at them both. They were soaked from head to toe in water. A tall and slender sixteen year old noticed this and ran over to scare the other boys off. Luckily, the boys were younger than Oskar and Eleanor so they were easily scared when confronted.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Are you two alright?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“No, not really. We are drenched from head to toe.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Edward led them inside and they tracked down a teacher who was shocked at their appearance and was very nearly about to yell at them both until they explained what happened. The teacher walked out into the front yard to track them down as they had gained a bit of a reputation for throwing water bombs at other pupils. Edward led them to the gym block where they spoke to the staff member on duty who supplied them both with new uniforms.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m Edward, by the way.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Eleanor.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Oskar.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>From that point on, the three of them formed a bond that would never be broken, even if Oskar and Eleanor ended up halfway across the world.</span>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <span>Oskar was snapped out of his flashbacks by the shouting of Officers. He took a look at his pocket watch, it was around 1:30am. Nobody knew that Titanic only had little over an hour left, and the situation was becoming dire. The bow was almost completely waterlogged, with a slight list to the Port side becoming apparent. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Oskar got up and ran around to the Port side to try his luck at getting on a lifeboat.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Harold was busy supervising the launch of Lifeboat 14 on the port side when Lightoller walked up to him and instructed him to man Lifeboat 14 as they needed someone in charge. Harold knew that he could easily dispense this duty to a more junior officer, but he didn’t dare question Lightoller. He obliged but all he could think about was Oskar. He was leaving Oskar onboard to fend for himself in a situation that was getting worse by the second. He watched as he manned the tipper, and Lightoller started to lower the boat away. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Harold took out his revolver and shot three warning shots to scare off some men who were about to jump into the boat. He didn’t want to cause injury, instead he didn’t want them to do anything stupid. As the boat was lowering, Harold looked up and noticed Oskar running through the bridge to the Port side, their eyes met for a second and Harold wished that he could go and save his love. Their connection was cut off by the boat getting lower which meant they could no longer see each other.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Oskar was heartbroken by this. He knew that Harold would get off safely, but what he didn’t know was whether or not he would get off the ship to be able to see him again. For the first time in years, Oskar felt well and truly alone.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. A Joyous Reunion</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The Titanic sinks underneath the North Atlantic, Eleanor, Oskar and Harold are split. Will it be a happy reunion?</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>April 15th, 1912</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Oskar watched as Lifeboat 14 was gradually lowered to the freezing waters of the North Atlantic by Officer Murdoch, who was in charge of lowering the port-side lifeboats. Oskar was in fight or flight mode, he had to figure out a way off of the ship and he had to do it fast. He walked around for a few minutes, looking for a solution, the panicking began to increase as the Titanic slowly became more and more submerged. He took a look down at the bow which was almost completely underwater, with the water beginning to get closer to the Boat Deck. Oskar looked around and noticed that husbands were escorting their wives and children to the lifeboats, saying their last goodbyes.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>It became clear to Oskar that some of these men would never see their families again. There were distressed mothers, lost children and people who were returning to their staterooms to simply accept their fate, most of them being men. Oskar ran round to the Port side and locked eyes with Officer Murdoch, who was gesturing him over for something.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Mr Fields. Before Officer Lowell was lowered in the lifeboats, he asked me to do everything I could to make sure you got off this boat safely. You mean a lot to him and I’d hate to see my fellow officer broken. Therefore, I want you to go down in this lifeboat.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Murdoch gestured to the lifeboat, which was Lifeboat 15 and one of the last ones left on the Titanic.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Shouldn’t women and children be the priority, Officer?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes, Women and children board first. But I’ve made an exception for you. Do it for Officer Lowell.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Oskar nodded and fastened up his jacket and tightened his life vest before bridging the gap between the deck and the lifeboat, taking a seat at the back of the lifeboat. He helped a few other women and some children into the lifeboat before attempting to get comfortable. Oskar had a feeling that he was going to be on this lifeboat for quite some time.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Harold was yelling at the passengers to continue to row away from the ship. He turned back as the screams got ever louder. He began to think about returning to the Titanic to rescue some more passengers who had inevitably fallen into the water. However, Harold was more worried about his love. He was praying that Murdoch would get Oskar off the sinking ship safely. The prospect of Oskar being drowned or freezing to death was too much for him to handle.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Eleanor glanced at the ship which was beginning to take on more water with tears in her eyes and her hands over her ears. The screams of the innocent passengers were too much to handle as she knew not all of them would be able to get off. She feared for Oskar, she feared for Harold and she feared for Molly. The fact that there was a possibility of never seeing them again was extremely clear. However, she remained optimistic that they would get off and that they would be reunited. A few other passengers were conversing amongst themselves to pass the time.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>As they were lowering Lifeboat 15, Oskar glanced down and yelled at them to stop as they were about to land on top of Lifeboat 13. The lowering stopped while Lifeboat 13 got out of the way for them to successfully lower Lifeboat 15. As they reached the water, the crew member in charge of the Lifeboat instructed them to row as quickly as they could. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>However, Lifeboat 15 was overloaded which meant there was a danger of it sinking. Oskar was concerned that they wouldn’t make it away from the ship in time to avoid getting pulled under by the sinking vessel. Nevertheless, everybody grabbed an oar and put their best into it, resulting in the lifeboat eventually getting away.The situation on the Titanic was getting more and more perilous. The bow was completely under with water beginning to submerged the bow end of the boat deck, with the screams of terror getting louder by the minute. For Harold, Oskar and Eleanor, all they could do was watch from their separate lifeboats. In the distance, they could hear the smashing of crockery and the screams of the passengers as well as the Titanic groaning under the stress of the water, the hull of the ship was not designed to withstand all the pressure. The groaning almost sounded like the Titanic was trying to scream in pain as she slowly met her fate. What was the grandest vessel in the world was beginning to be destroyed right before their very eyes, in the middle of the North Atlantic with not a ship or landmass in sight.</span>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <span>Harold carried a pocket watch on his uniform, he checked the time which read 2:15am. The Titanic was beginning to get more and more vertical, it was clear that she wasn’t going to be afloat much longer.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>To everyone's horror, the first funnel of the Titanic began to give in to the pressure as it snapped from it’s ropes and fell down with an almighty creak and a crash. The funnel generated a wave which swept several people away into the freezing ocean. People were getting desperate on-board the Titanic and were beginning to jump off the ship in order to try and survive the sinking. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Eleanor watched while she cried, wondering where her friend was. Eleanor wanted clarity, Eleanor wanted to know if Oskar was alright. Behind her, she could hear some children asking if their father would be okay. The mothers were trying to reassure them the best they could, but deep down they knew it was unlikely they would see their husbands again.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Oskar took a sip of some brandy out of a flask being carried by another male passenger onboard the boat. He was thankful for it as it sent a wave of warmth down his body as the temperatures outside were below freezing. For now, all he could do was turn back and watch the sight of the Titanic slowly succumbing to the murky depths of the Atlantic ocean.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The stern of the Titanic began to rise high in the air, with the lights beginning to flicker on and off which was a sure sign that the power was beginning to fail. Passengers were beginning to lose their footing and fall down. Trudy Bolt, the maid to the DeWitt Bukaters was still onboard the Titanic, having returned to the stateroom to prepare tea and turn on the heaters on the request of Ruth. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>By the time she had finished, all the boats had gone which meant she was stuck. Trudy lost footing and was grabbed by a man, holding on to his hands for a few minutes until her hands could take it no more, meaning she fell to her death.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Everybody was snapped out of their thoughts by an almighty crash coming from the Titanic. The bow and stern had split in two and the stern was beginning to fall, with screams of terror being heard in the distance. The stern crashed down into the water, sending a blast of freezing cold water which covered the people already swimming in the ocean in a desperate bid to get away from the ship. Titanic was only a few minutes away from her demise.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>In a fit of instinct, Eleanor began screaming at the officer in charge to go back and try to save them.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Please! They are dying out there and they need our help! This boat can take many more people than just us.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>However, it was to no avail. The officer stood his ground and refused to go back, worrying that the boat would get swamped or the suction would pull them under.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Harold sat in silence, his mind racing until he heard the almighty crack of the ship being torn apart by the pressure, with some minor explosions which they assumed to be the boilers being heard at the same time. The sight of this mighty ship breaking in two was truly terrifying to all.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Oskar was speechless as he took another sip of brandy. The boat that he was on not half an hour earlier had just split in two right in front of his eyes. His main fear was for the passengers onboard the ship that haven’t been able to get off. He wished they could go back and rescue them, but the passengers and officer in charge were refusing.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>In the distance, the passengers on the lifeboats could clearly see people falling off the ship and into the murky depths of the Atlantic. The stern continued to float for a few minutes before all 250 feet of it rose up, so much that it was near vertical. People continued to fall down into the water, sometimes in singles, groups or pairs.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The stern bobbed for a few minutes before eventually going down and disappearing below the surface, never to be seen again. In the distance, the screams of passengers were heard as they swam in the ocean, calling out for help. However, all the people in the lifeboats could do was wait for help and row to safety.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>After a while of rowing, Harold’s lifeboat met up with two other lifeboats. In the distance he could hear the faint screams and whistles of passengers and crew slowly freezing to death. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Right, listen to me we have to go back. I want everybody from this boat to move into that boat there. Quickly please!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Once everybody had moved into another lifeboat, Harold gathered a few men to row Lifeboat 14 back to where the passengers were. It took them about half an hour and by the time they got there, most of the passengers had frozen.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Be careful with your oars, don’t hit them.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He glanced around with his torch before calling out. “Is there anyone alive out there?!” He watched as some of the other people in the lifeboat checked the lifeless bodies of those floating in the water. Harold had a goal in mind, find Oskar. Every man he passed, he double checked to make sure it wasn’t Oskar. There were 1500 people in the water, Harold was only able to rescue a few. As the boat slowly rowed through the water, he noticed a Mother cradling her baby. He couldn’t help but have a few tears in his eyes.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“We waited too long.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He quickly regained his composure.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Well don’t stop, keep looking!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Harold was nearly losing hope, until he heard the sound of a whistle being blown.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Come around!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Harold ordered them to follow the sound, which they did. They found Rose using the whistle that she had taken from the body of Officer Wilde. They lifted her in and quickly wrapped her in some blankets as she was freezing. Now all they could do was wait.</span>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <span>Day had broken and Eleanor woke up after falling asleep on the lifeboat. Eleanor glanced up and noticed the welcome site of the RMS Carpathia which had arrived to pick up survivors. Eleanor was lifted up the ladders by a crew member and into the arms of a maid who provided her with a hot cup of tea. The sweet taste of the tea was something that sent a wave of heat down Eleanor’s body, the first drink she had had in hours. She walked up to the deck and it was clear that her lifeboat was one of the first ones to be rescued. She glanced around and gave her name to an Officer.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>At around 7:15am, Harold’s lifeboat arrived at the RMS Carpathia. He helped Rose up onto the ship before climbing up himself to assist others with boarding. Rose was very weak, having been in the water for a long time, he helped her up onto the deck and thrust a cup of tea into her hands. He then glanced around and looked for Oskar, hoping that his lifeboat had arrived and that he was safe. Harold didn’t see Oskar, but instead saw Eleanor who made eye contact with him. He walked over to her and sat down.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Have you seen Oskar?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“No, I’ve not. I really hope he got off.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“So do I, Eleanor.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Eleanor got up and decided to take a walk to the stern of the ship to clear her head, while Harold roamed the deck talking to the passengers from the Titanic.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Shortly after Harold arrived at the Carpathia, Oskar’s lifeboat did the same. Oskar had helped row all the way to the Carpathia, so he was very exhausted. He climbed up the ladder onto the Carpathia and took the cup of tea that a steward was handing him. As he walked out onto the busy boat deck, he was looking around for Harold or Eleanor. He looked towards the stern and saw the familiar blue coat that Eleanor was wearing when she disembarked. He followed it and to his luck, it was Eleanor. She was standing at the stern, glancing out at the horizon. Her hair was a bit frayed after the hours spent in a lifeboat.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Oskar walked up to her and stood next to her.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I told you we would be together again.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Eleanor turned and her eyes widened, before she smiled and pulled Oskar into a tight embrace, which he returned.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You got off. How did you get off? You survived.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Harold asked once of the Officers to make sure I got off safely, so they put me on one of the lifeboats.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“So Harold saved your life then?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Technically, yes.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Eleanor knew Harold was looking for him, so she decided to go and find him. “I’ll be back soon.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Harold walked towards the stern, but didn’t see Eleanor walking on the other side of the ship. The stern was quiet as everybody was gathered at the centre of the ship. The stern of the Carpathia was a great place to seek some solitude from the screaming and the crying of distraught passengers. As he got to the stern, he noticed a man standing there. His eyes lit up with tears in them as he edged closer, hoping that it was Oskar.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Oskar?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Oskar glanced up from looking down at the ocean, as he heard the Welsh voice of Harold Lowell. They didn’t say anything more to each other, instead Harold ran towards Oskar and pulled him into an embrace and a long kiss on the lips.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m so happy. I was so worried you didn’t get off. I was so worried you had drowned or frozen to death. I’ve missed you, I love you Oskar.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m in one piece, Harold. I love you too.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>They kissed a bit more before wrapping arms around each other and looking into each other’s eyes.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“The prospect of not being able to see you again was too much for me, Oskar.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I felt the same about you, Harold.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“When we get off in New York, I am resigning from White Star. This tragedy made me think about my career. I’ve loved my years as an officer, but I need a change and I want to make that change with you by my side. I want to spend months and years with you.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Oskar kissed him again. “I’d like that very much.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Eleanor walked back down the stern and noticed them in an embrace.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Everything good then?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Very.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>They all went into a group hug, they were together again.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Epilogue</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Epilogue</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Epilogue</p>
<p>After the sinking, Eleanor, Oskar and Harold intended to travel back to England. However they were stuck in New York until at least May due to the inquiries into the Titanic in which all surviving passengers and officers had to give evidence. The few months spent in New York were long. Oskar’s business couldn’t succeed due to him losing most of his assets in the sinking. However, there was a reprieve. Before they boarded the Titanic, Oskar and Eleanor put 50% of their money into a bank account in England, as well as giving the house over to Edward to look after.</p>
<p>When the inquiry was over, the trio travelled back to Southampton on the RMS Olympic, the sister ship of the Titanic. As soon as they docked in Southampton, Harold handed in his resignation to White Star and moved to London to live with Oskar and Eleanor. Now you may be wondering, how did they get away with it? Quite simply, Eleanor posed as Oskar’s wife when guests came over to visit the house. </p>
<p>Now, let’s get to the individual stories.</p>
<p>Oskar relaunched his old business in England after deciding that launching in the United States was too much of a risk as he was essentially starting from scratch all over again. Harold helped him set up the business and they eventually got their own house together. Harold found a job working in a bank in Central London, near the St Paul's Cathedral. He began writing to his parents during this period who were happy to hear from him as they heard about the sinking. Harold went away to Barmouth in Wales for a few weeks to stay with his family, where he was hailed as a hero for his actions during the sinking of the Titanic.</p>
<p>Oskar and Harold lived a happy life together, until Oskar passed away in 1965 at the age of 77 after suffering a fatal stroke which took him while he slept. Harold was left to widow alone for another five years until passing away peacefully in 1970 at the age of 83. They were very nearly split apart when they went to fight in World War One, however they both survived.</p>
<p>Eleanor had a happy life too. After Edward moved into the house just after Harold and Oskar left, they eventually became a bit smitten with each other and got married in 1916. Eleanor and Edward had three kids together and were married for 45 years. Eleanor passed away in 1961 at the age of 73, with Edward passing away in 1963 at the age of 77. The children inherited Oskar and Harold’s business, as well as the houses left by both Eleanor and Oskar.</p>
<p>Their stories would be told to the children and they would all go down in history as some of the people who survived the worst sinking in the world. </p>
<p>After Oskar, Eleanor and Harold passed away, they were all together again on the RMS Titanic, floating happily in the heavens with the rest of the passengers that didn’t make it.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The End.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I understand this epilogue was short, but I feel it covered everything the viewers needed to know.</p>
<p>This fic was shorter than I hoped, but I felt like it was the perfect length.</p>
<p>Thank you very much for reading and please stay tuned for some other fanfictions coming soon!</p>
<p>- Nate x</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>